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&=
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p; YUKON
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
&=
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p; &=
nbsp; 2017
Spring Sitting
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; SPEAKER — Hon. Nils Clarke, MLA, Riverdale North
&= nbsp; DEPUTY SPEAKER and CHAIR OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE — Don Hutton, MLA, Mayo-Tatchun
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; DEPUTY CHAIR OF COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE — Ted Adel, MLA, Copperbelt North
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; CABINET MINISTERS
NAME&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; CONSTITUENCY &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; =
PORTFOLIO
Hon. Sandy Silver =
=
span>Klondike &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Premier
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; Minister
of the Executive Council Office; Finance
Hon. Ranj Pillai =
&nb=
sp; Porter
Creek South &n=
bsp;  =
; &n=
bsp; Deputy
Premier
=
=
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
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p; &=
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p; &=
nbsp; =
span>Minister
of Energy, Mines and Resources; Economic
&=
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p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
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p; &=
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p; &=
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p; Development;
Minister responsible for the Yukon Development
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Corporation and the Yukon Energy Corporation
Hon. Tracy-Anne McPhee &= nbsp; Riverdale South &n= bsp;  = ; &n= bsp; Government House Leader
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Minister of Education; Justice
Hon. John Streicker = Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes &= nbsp; Minister of Community Services; Minister responsible for the
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; French Language Services Directorate; Yukon Liquor
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Corporation and the Yukon Lottery Commission
Hon. Pauline Frost = Vun= tut Gwitchin &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Minister of Health and Social Services; Environment;
&=
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p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
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p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Minister
responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation
Hon. Richard Mostyn  =
; &n=
bsp; Whitehorse
West &nb=
sp; =
&nb=
sp; Minister
of Highways and Public Works;
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
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p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; the
Public Service Commission
Hon. Jeanie Dendys = Mou= ntainview = ; &n= bsp;  = ; &n= bsp; Minister of Tourism and Culture; Minist= er responsible for the
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Women’s Directorate
GOVERNMENT PRIVATE MEMBERS
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Yukon Liberal Party
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ted Adel = &nb= sp; = Copperbelt North
 = ; &n= bsp;  = ; &n= bsp;  = ; &n= bsp; Paolo Gallina &n= bsp;  = ; = Porter Creek Centre
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Don Hutton = &nb= sp; Mayo-Tatchun
OFFICIAL OPPOSITION
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Yukon Party
Stacey
Hassard &n=
bsp; Lea=
der
of the Official Opposition
&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Pelly-Nisutlin
Brad
Cathers =
&nb=
sp; Lake Laberge
Wade
Istchenko &nbs=
p; Kluane&=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
Scott Kent<=
span
style=3D'mso-tab-count:2'> &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; Official Opposition House Leader
&nb=
sp; =
Copperbelt South =
&nb=
sp;
Patti McLeod &n=
bsp;  =
; Watson Lake
Geraldine Van Bibber Porter Creek North
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; THIRD PARTY
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; New Democratic Party
 = ; &n= bsp;  = ; &n= bsp;  = ; &n= bsp; Liz Hanson &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; Leader of the Third Party
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Whitehorse Centre
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Kate White &n= bsp;  = ; &n= bsp; Third Party House Leader
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Takhini-Kopper King &nb= sp;
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; LEGISLATIVE STAFF
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Clerk of the Assembly &nbs= p; Floyd McCormick
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Deputy Clerk &n= bsp;  = ; <= /span>Linda Kolody
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Clerk of Committees = = span>Allison Lloyd
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Sergeant-at-Arms &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Doris McLean
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms &nb= sp; Karina Watson
&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Hansard Administrator = Deana Lemke
Published under the authority of the Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly
Yukon Legislative Assembly
Whitehorse, Yukon
Monday, June 12, 2017 — 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: I will now call the House to order. We will proc= eed at this time with prayers.
Prayers
Daily Routin=
e
Speaker: We will proceed at this time with the Order Pape= r.
Tributes.
TRIBUTES
In remembrance of William Yaxkasei Callaghan=
Hon. Mr. Silver: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We don’t have everybody in the gallery quite yet for this tribute. IR= 17;m not sure if there are people waiting down below who are coming in as well — but if I can get folks to usher some people in for this important tribute.
Mr. Speaker, I’= ;m honoured to rise on behalf of all Members of the Legislative Assembly to pay tribute to William Yaxkasei Callaghan.
William was born in White= horse and into the Dakhl’awèdi clan, which is the killer whale/eagle clan of the Teslin Tlingit First Nation. His Tlingit name, Yaxkasei, means “can see a long way”. William was an exceptional young man, a gifted visual artist, dancer, a kind and truly generous individual who insp= ired many. He was a very respected person wherever his travels and his studies c= arried him.
His carving career was su= pported and nurtured by established and respected Yukon artists and teachers, as we= ll as the Northern Cultural Expressions Society, formerly known as the Sundog carving studio. It was there that William developed his deep love and his passion for carving and for the arts. It was also there that his extended carving family grew. There are many individuals to be thanked for their sup= port in William’s healing journey.
Among his many achievemen= ts were national and international recognition for his work, which has been display= ing in galleries in Vancouver, Toronto, Alaska and also the United Nations in N= ew York.
William carved the totem = pole displayed at the Northwest Company in Toronto, Ontario and was invited to p= aint a drum made by Bengie Clethero that was given to the London University in England. Also, at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, William participated= as an Olympic torch-bearer and a dancer with the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers at the Olympic Victory Ceremony and as a visual artist with the dis= play of the bentwood box he created for the occasion. It warms my heart to hear = the drums today in the Legislative Assembly.
Closer to home, Mr. = Speaker, William presented a beautiful beaver mask to former Governor General of Can= ada Michaëlle Jean during her visit to Yukon as a gift on behalf of the Yu= kon government.
His work can also be foun= d in many collaborative projects, including the healing totem on the Whitehorse waterfront and the dugout canoe at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. The solo works that he created, from carvings and other projects completed duri= ng his time at the Northern Cultural Expressions Society, all the way to the various artistic media created during his studies at Emily Carr University = of Art and Design, are a testimony to his boundless talents and passions.
In April 2016, William unexpectedly passed away, having just completed his third year of a bachelo= r of fine arts degree at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
Yaxkasei touched many, ma= ny people in his short 33 years. He was a proud son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and uncle to the four nephews who loved and admired him deeply. Mike= and Pearl Callaghan, William’s parents, along with his sisters, Alexandria and Heather, and his four nephews, have recently returned from Emily Carr w= here they attended the convocation and received William’s bachelor of fine arts degree. This was awarded posthumously by the university and it’s truly an incredible honour, which William wholly deserved.
One of William’s ca= rvings, a door panel entitled “Yeil” — which is “raven”= in Tlingit — bearing a raven in red cedar, was displayed at the arts students’ graduation show. This was a piece created during the Open D= oors project in the summer of 2015, which was a collaboration of the Freda Diesi= ng School of Northwest Coast Art and the Emily Carr University.
In September, a new campu= s of the university will be opened on Great Northern Way in Vancouver. Two copies of William’s “Yeil” door panel will be used at the entrancew= ay of the university’s Aboriginal Gathering Place. In honour of William, long-time Emily Carr community members Gaye Fowler and John Wertschek have established an award in honour of their friendship and their respect for William Yaxkasei Callaghan.
Gaye and John contributed= $10,000 and the university matched that amount to create a $20,000 endowment fund. = William’s fund can be added to at any time, helping it grow and to allow for greater awards to be made possible. A portion of the interest earned from the fund = will provide an award to an Emily Carr student of aboriginal ancestry wishing to enrol in a credit summer program course. The award shall directly cover the cost of the student’s tuition. The remaining interest will be reinves= ted into the fund to protect its value over time. Aboriginal students will apply for the award through the aboriginal program manager.
William is a mentor to ma= ny people of all cultures, and many were blessed to have felt the kindness and= the gentleness of the vision Yaxkasei. William was a member of the Tagish Nation Dancers, the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers and the Git Hayetsk dancer= s. This reflected William’s love of dancing and performing his Tlingit ancestry. He will be remembered for his tremendous body of creative work, h= is sense of humour, his strength of character, and as a cultural ambassador. William has left an outstanding legacy and is missed by many.
Günilschish. Thank y= ou, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Ms. Dendys: I rise today to acknowledge all of these wonderful people who have gathered here. You only have to look up into this gallery to know how loved William was and is. I’m going to acknowledge the family members who have come here today and their friends a= nd all who are connected with William — as I am connected with him: Pearl and Mike Callaghan, William’s parents; Alex McKenna, Heather Callagha= n, his sisters; his wonderful nephews Malachi and Ethan LaVallee; Peter Fox Jo= hns, his nephew; Rocco Rondeau, the newest little member of the family; aunties Marie Davies, Brenda Bosely, Liz Bosely; Shari‑Lynn Bosely and h= er family; Judy Carson who is also an auntie; Gus Morberg and his family; Calv= in Morberg and his family; the Northern Cultural Expressions Society, which is also his family; Sundog Retreat, Andrew and Heather Finton; the Dakhk&aacut= e; Khwáan Dancers — who are, again, so many families — led = by Marilyn Jensen; I would like to acknowledge master carver, Wayne Price who = was a mentor; Bill Bennett; Chief Eric Morris; Chief Carl Sidney; Grand&nb= sp;Chief Peter Johnston; Nancy Huston and Marsha Flood.
I know that there are oth= er people who have gathered here today. Thank you so much for coming. This has been an incredible tribute to William. We absolutely loved him too and he i= s so missed.
Thank you all for coming = today. Mēduh.
Applause
In recognit=
ion of
Special Olympics Yukon
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I rise today to recognize Special Olympics Yukon and all of the Special Olympics athletes in the Yukon.
It’s an honour to r= ise in the Legislature on behalf of the Yukon Liberal government to pay tribute to= a special group that brings so much courage, joy and inspiration to this territory. I think it’s very fitting that it follows the tribute to William Yaxkasei Callaghan.
At face value, Special Ol= ympics provides year-round sport training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, yet they provide so much more. Speci= al Olympics Yukon began in Whitehorse in 1978 and today Special Olympics Yukon supports more than 90 Yukoners training and competing in sports they love. Yukon Special Olympics athletes have competed on our local rinks, at nation= al tournaments, and even at world championships.
In March of this year, Ti= jana McCarthy, Michael Sumner and Ernest Chua travelled to Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. Figure skaters Tijana and Michael returned with a silver medal each, while Ernest won a gold medal and a bronze medal as well= as a fourth-place finish in cross-country skiing. I remember Ernest and Darby McIntyre when they were competing in the Marsh Lake Ski Loppet and they were very fast.
These athletes are the la= test of many Yukon Special Olympics athletes who have achieved excellence. Congratulations Tijana, Michael and Ernest. Not all of the children, youth = and adults participating in Special Olympics Yukon programs are training to com= pete on the national or international stage, but all of these athletes are impro= ving their physical fitness, enhancing physical literacy, and increasing their self-confidence and social skills.
We are proud to support S= pecial Olympics Yukon and the work they do. This year, in 2017‑18, the Yukon government is providing over $100,000 to support Special Olympics Yukon. Th= is includes support for the Active Start initiative, support for athletes attending national games in the winter and summer and operational funding f= or the organization.
The Special Olympics Yuko= n Active Start initiative encourages children from ages two to seven and their famil= ies to engage in sport. We had a great presentation. Serge came into the office= and was sharing with us all about the role of Active Start and what an important piece it is in starting our athletes young.
From Active Start, young = children get support from Special Olympics to grow as athletes and individuals and, = we hope, one day compete in national or international games. The athletes are = now training hard to compete in the 2018 Special Olympics games in Nova Scotia = from July 31 to August 4, 2018. I’m looking forward to those games and I h= ope to see several of us from this Legislature there, cheering on.
Darby McIntyre is another= athlete I mentioned earlier, who lives and trains in the Yukon and has represented Canada at the World Special Olympics Games in athletics. I remember Darby a= s a young boy. I met him playing on the beach when he was about five or six yea= rs old, and he reminded me of my own nephew. I watched a couple of years ago a= s he and Ernest blew the field away at our ski loppet. They set a record. It was amazing.
In 2015, Darby won a gold= medal in the five-kilometre run in a blistering 18 minutes and 32 seconds at the summer Special Olympic games in Los Angeles. Other athletes to achieve international success have been Katherine Hall, Garry Chaplin and Owen Munroe.
Operational funding for S= pecial Olympics Yukon allows the organization to continue to support the Special Olympics Yukon’s ambassador program. This program allows athletes to develop skills to prepare and deliver speeches and conduct themselves professionally at all Special Olympics events. Duncan McRae is a graduate of the program and now sits on the board of Special Olympics as an athlete representative.
Many of these athlete amb= assadors become spokespeople at press conferences and sport and recreation workshops= and events. These athletes grow as individuals and inspire others to train, compete, or just get active and try something new. They are not just inspir= ing each other; they are inspiring all of us, including the MLAs in this Legislature. Many of us were at the Special Olympics banquet in April.
We heard Dr. Frank&n= bsp;Hayden, creator of the Special Olympics movement, speaking and he was a powerful speaker. However, it was Owen Munroe, 2016 Special Olympics Yukon male athl= ete of the year, who really impressed us all and left us stunned, reminding tha= t we create a better community, territory and world when we are determined, resp= ectful, courageous and full of joy.
Today, I would like us al= l to recognize the hard work and dedication of the athletes in Special Olympics Yukon and the hard work and dedication of the coaches, the board members, t= he volunteers and the families who make Special Olympics Yukon such an inspira= tion for us all.
Mr. Speaker, I would= like to welcome several Special Olympics athletes here: Alanna Dene, Albert Bill, Edward Kaye and, from Special Olympics Yukon, Thomas Gibbs, chairperson; Se= rge Michaud, the CEO and Brettanie Dale-Porter, the program director ̵= 2; if we could just welcome them all please.
Applause
Mr. Kent: I rise today on behalf of the Yukon Party Official Opposition to pay tribute to Special Olympics Yukon and the accomplishments of its athletes.
Special Olympics Yukon of= fers four program streams beginning with Active Start, as the minister mentioned, which allows children to become engaged in sport and play from an early age. From two years old, children can participate and work their way through act= ivities and programs dealing with the fundamentals of sport and physical activity. =
Children continue through different programs based on their age groups and have the opportunity to continue right into the community-based program, which offers competitive programming for all ages. It is through this program that athletes have the opportunity to compete at regional, provincial, territorial, national, and = even international games.
Summer sports programming includes bocce, five-pin bowling, golf, rhythmic gymnastics, seven-a-side soccer and swimming. Winter sports include cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating and floor hockey.
Again, as the minister me= ntioned, this March, the three Yukon athletes who headed to Austria for the Special Olympics World Winter Games all returned with podium wins. To Ernest, Mike = and Tijana: We certainly congratulate all of you for doing your best and making= the Yukon very proud. Between these three athletes, there is no shortage of tal= ent and success when it comes to competition. We are very fortunate that they c= all Yukon home. Congratulations to all of them and all of the other successful athletes with this program.
Special Olympics relies o= n the help of staff and volunteers who have spent countless hours, if not years, = of their lives to ensure the success of not only Special Olympics but each individual athlete who trains and competes.
I would like to give a sp= ecial mention to Serge Michaud. He is a friend of mine and he is also, of course,= the executive director of Special Olympics Yukon.
Serge’s unwavering dedication to the athletes and the fundraising efforts and to ensuring that Special Olympics Yukon remains an important part of our community has led to years of advancement and achievements for Special Olympics Yukon. Thank you very much, Serge. Thank you to your committed and enthusiastic staff and bo= ard of directors. Without you, Special Olympics Yukon would not be the success = that it is today.
I would encourage all Yuk= oners to give their support to Special Olympics Yukon and their incredible group of athletes. Whether you show support through attending events, volunteering w= ith athletes or with fundraising events, or donating money or other goods and services, you will be helping to ensure that the incredible programming of Special O reaches our community members who benefit so significantly f= rom it.
A great opportunity to sh= ow your support is by attending the annual Special Olympics festival and dinner auc= tion or the Special Olympics golf gala. Each event is not only well attended and= a successful fundraising opportunity but a fun and interactive way to get involved and show your support. Whichever way you decide to help will allow= our Yukon athletes to continue to participate in competitions around the world. Thank you again to all who work toward the success of Special Olympics Yukon and its athletes.
Applause
Ms. White: I rise on behalf of the Yukon NDP caucus = to pay tribute to Special Olympics Yukon. We joined the organization near the = very end of the 1970s when a group of enthusiastic individuals saw an opportunit= y to organize and form Special Olympics Yukon and provide students with special needs a chance to participate in competitive sports.
This group of volunteers, workshop staff, special education teachers, group home staff and parents quickly organized. With the support of local businesses and government, they were soon winging their way in an Air North DC-3 to Juneau and then Anchora= ge for their very first international competition — the Alaska Special Olympics Summer Games. I was told that was in 1982.
Since that time, Special = Olympics has continued to grow and flourish. Teams have travelled across Canada to participate in summer and winter games. Athletes, coaches and volunteers ha= ve continued to represent the Yukon very well. More recently, Yukon Special Olympics athletes have travelled around the world, not only to represent Yu= kon but to represent Canada. Many have returned home with medals. More importan= tly, they have all come home with fabulous memories.
So a big thank you and congratulations to volunteer coaches and athletes, to the businesses and individual donors who support these athletes, to the parents and caregivers= of the athletes, to the Special Olympics staff and, most importantly, to the athletes who, over the last 36 years, have represented so well and have mad= e us all so very proud. Thank you so very much for what you have all done.
Applause
Speaker: Are there any further tributes?
Introduction of visitors.=
Introduction=
of
Visitors
Hon. Mr. Silver: It gives me great pleasure to honour and hold up Grand Chief Peter Johnston in the Legislative Assembly today. T= hank you very much for your guidance. Not my words, but I will agree with these words: You are an inspiration to young indigenous leaders, not only here in= the Yukon, but across Canada.
Please help me in welcomi= ng Grand Chief Johnston.
Applause
Mr. Hassard: I would ask all members to join me in welcoming a couple of people who were missed during the tribute to Will Callaghan. The first is his aunt, Blanche, who is in the Assembly today, as well as Isabelle McClements and Francis, her daughter. Thank you very much = for being here.
Applause
Hon. Mr. Streicker: It is my privilege to introduce = my lovely wife, Susan Walton, who is here visiting us today.
Speaker: Are there any further introductions of visitors?=
Tabling returns and docum= ents.
Tabling Retu=
rns and
Documents
Speaker: Under tabling returns and documents, the Chair h= as for tabling a report entitled Contr= ibutions to Candidates and Political Parties in the 2016 Calendar Year. This rep= ort is submitted by the Chief Electoral Officer of Yukon in accordance with sec= tion 398 of the Elections Act. IR= 17;ll be filing that document right now.
Hon. Ms. McPhee: I have for tabling the Department of
Education 2016 annual report, which is tabled pursuant to section 5(h) of t=
he Education Act.
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I have for tabling a response to questions from the Leader of the Third Party regarding homeowner protection= .
Hon. Mr. Mostyn: I have for tabling 12 legislative returns in response to questions from the Official Opposition and Third Par= ty.
Speaker: Are there any further returns or documents for tabling?
Are there any reports of committees?
Are there any petitions? =
Are there any bills to be introduced?
Are there any notices of = motions?
Notices of M=
otions
Mr. Hassard: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Government of Yukon to allocate the necessary funding to the replacement and upgrading of those bridges along the North Canol Road that:
(1) have had their weight restrictions decreased due to aging infrastructure; and
(2) are crucial crossings= for local businesses to carry out their daily activities.
Ms. White: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Government of Yukon to review the medical travel regulations and medical tr= avel rates.
I also give notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Government of Yukon to review the social assistance regulations and social assistance rates.
Mr. Hutton: I rise to give notice of the following motion:
THAT this House urges the Government of Yukon to work with RCMP, First Nations, the Yukon Police Coun= cil and communities to identify ongoing policing priorities and the funding required to implement them.
Mr. Adel: I rise today to give notice of the followi= ng motion:
THAT this House urges the Government of Yukon to work in partnership with the francophone community to find practical, short- and long-term solutions to provide more services in French.
Speaker: Are there any further notices of motions?
Is there a statement by a minister?
Ministerial
Statement
C=
ouncil
of the Federation meetings in Washington
Hon. Mr. Silver: This afternoon, I rise to report on= my recent travels to Washington, DC. I travelled there as the chair of the Cou= ncil of the Federation and was joined by seven other premiers. In our meetings w= ith a number of senators and congresspeople, we discussed shared US and Canadian issues and reiterated the importance of a solid working relationship between our countries, one that is a vital part of the comfortable lifestyles that = so many Canadians and Americans enjoy today.
Here in Yukon, we have an important relationship with Alaska. In our meetings with Senator Murkowski = of Alaska, the chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, = she confirmed that the United States would like to continue to remain and to improve relations with Canada.
All of my meetings in Was= hington left me reassured that our American counterparts want to work together for mutual benefit to our nations and to continue to foster this long-standing relationship. On our trip, the other premiers and I emphasized to United St= ates representatives the importance of trade between our countries. We met with = the Canadian Ambassador and received reassurances that their hopes are to move quickly to resolve outstanding bilateral issues including NAFTA renewal. The Ambassador confirmed that the federal government will continue to work clos= ely with provinces and territories as NAFTA negotiations continue.
We continued our conversa= tion about trade with Stephen Vaughn and John Melle, who were both closely involved as United States trade representatives. They confirmed the desire = to have a North American trade agreement where improvements are made so that everybody benefits, economies improve and jobs for the middle class are created.
Our trip allowed us to gi= ve a voice to Canadian concerns as we met with members of the new administration= in the United States. As the chair of the council, I had the opportunity to sp= eak to the Western Caucus. Dozens of congresspeople together to talk about key partnerships and opportunities in all areas from trade, agriculture, energy, regulations, border security, immigration, mining and investment, wildlife management and more.
The Council of the Federa= tion also met the Secretary of Agriculture and chair of the President’s Strategic Policy Forum. Both of these meetings were opportunities to, again, address and discuss the important trade relationships with Canada.
While in Washington, I al= so enjoyed the opportunity to discuss Yukon-specific issues. I met with environmental NGOs about their efforts to continue to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offered them any support that we can give. We spoke about our shared concern for this important region and I reiterated h= ow valuable this region is, both environmentally and culturally. They are fami= liar with the concerns of the Vuntut Gwitchin and are encouraged to know that our government supports efforts to preserve this land.
Shared infrastructure, es= pecially the Shakwak highway, was another area of local concern that I voiced in Washington. I met with three representatives from Alaska — Senator Murkowski, Congressman Young, and Congressman Sullivan. I brought up our concerns about the lack of American funding for this highway. They acknowle= dge it is an important piece of shared infrastructure, but are not able to make formal commitments to support the necessary upgrade costs at this time.
I explained that we would= like to work with them on this piece of shared infrastructure but, without a financ= ial commitment, we would not be able to maintain Shakwak to the current standar= ds. The American funding for Shakwak was discontinued in 2012 and I was surpris= ed at how far off the radar this important issue has fallen with our American neighbours. Very little has been done to further this issue and now it has fallen to this government to find an alternative for the future.
This travel to Washington= was a valuable and important exercise. It is a time of change for the United Stat= es as they have yet to pass a budget bill, as they have a very new government.=
Again, chairing the Counc= il of the Federation was extremely valuable for Yukon and for me personally. It helped our territory advance its position in the federation and lead nation= al initiatives that are important to Canadians and Yukoners.
Speaker: Order, please.
Mr. Hassard: It’s interesting that the Premier= has chosen to do a ministerial statement in regard to his recent trip to Washington. When in opposition, the Premier was the first to criticize lobb= ying trips that were unsuccessful in securing funding for projects such as Shakw= ak. In fact, he referred to them as producing nothing more than hotel bills. = p>
Well, as the Premier has = said in the past, the view is different over there on the government side of the Ho= use. From his remarks today, you would think that his trip to Washington was a successful trip. However, the facts seem to tell a different story. Unfortunately, in terms of tangible results for Yukoners, it looks like the only thing the Premier’s trip produced was hotel bills and Twitter ph= otos of him attending fancy receptions. It sounds like the Premier’s effor= ts to raise environmental protection with Alaska fell on deaf ears. The same c= an be said with his efforts to raise Shakwak funding.
We take the Premier at hi= s word that he wanted the Americans to give Yukon more funding for Shakwak, and I think that all parties in the House would agree that would be a good thing.= By the Premier’s own standards of success, his trip was a failure. We wi= sh it wasn’t, but at the end of the day, the Premier returned home empty= -handed and he has to be accountable for that.
In the Premier’s re= marks, he mentions he met with the senator and congressmen of Alaska and certainly= no one can begrudge this. The relationship between Yukon and Alaska is a very important one, as we all know. However, I wonder how much taxpayers’ money the Premier could have saved by meeting with them just next door here= in Alaska instead of travelling all the way to Washington to do so.
Also, on this trip, the P= remier said the issue of NAFTA was discussed. This is very interesting indeed. Pri= or to the Premier’s departure, the Official Opposition had asked the Pre= mier to let this Legislative Assembly know what Yukon’s position in NAFTA renegotiations was. However, at the time, the Premier did not provide an an= swer to us. This is an important issue that Yukoners deserve to know about. Are there areas of NAFTA that the government wants renegotiated? Are there areas that they want to see protected? In the Premier’s remarks, he indicat= ed that NAFTA renegotiations are an important issue. So we really hope that he does have a position on these issues and that he will share them with the Legislative Assembly sooner than later.
I will also note that we = are still waiting to hear from the government on their offer to provide all of = the opposition parties with a briefing on their NAFTA position.
Mr. Speaker, I would= like to just reiterate that we are disappointed that the Premier’s trip was unsuccessful and that he failed to get money for Shakwak. We do look forwar= d to seeing how this government will approach this file moving forward. Thank yo= u, Mr. Speaker.
Ms. White: I rise on behalf of the Yukon NDP caucus = to respond to the Premier’s ministerial statement.
I’ll speak briefly = about the Yukon-specific issues the Premier has mentioned. The first one is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We all know how important this is for all Yukoners and, specifically, the Gwich’in people. The North Slope, whi= ch is the calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd, is now being consider= ed for oil and gas drilling and that would obviously be extremely damaging to = both the herd and the Gwich’in people. We are happy that the government we= nt with environmental NGOs about this issue, but we do hope that these same discussions took place with elected officials. We know that oil and gas exploration in Alaska is high on the agenda of both the American president = and of Senator Murkowski and this should be of great concern to Yukoners. We certainly hope that, even if this was not an easy conversation, Yukon’= ;s message got through to elected officials. It’s easy to talk about thi= ngs we agree on but this issue is too important to be left out of the formal exchanges between elected officials.
On the issue of Shakwak f= unding, I’ve heard about Yukon’s lobbying efforts ever since being elec= ted to this House, Mr. Speaker. We’ve sent the letters, we’ve = had the meetings and we’ve even hired lobbyists in Washington, yet there seems to be very little progress on this issue. I would be interested to kn= ow how the Premier sees this important issue moving forward now that he has met with his American counterparts.
Mr. Speaker, whatever we’re doing at the moment doesn’t seem to be working, so what a= re the creative ways to go about this? Do we get enough support from our feder= al counterparts in advancing the file in our bilateral relationships with the = US? We know that there’s going to be a lot of give and take between Canada and the United States on several files in the months to come, so how do we = be sure that issues dear to Yukon are high on that list? On this, I want to th= ank the Premier for his statement and for his recent trip to Washington.
Hon. Mr. Silver: I do thank the members opposite for their perspectives. As mentioned in my statement, our trip allowed the Coun= cil of the Federation to give a strong, united voice for Canada on a wide range= of concerns of national importance.
I was required to travel = to Washington in my capacity as the chair of the Council of the Federation and= as leader of a group of premiers to meet with American officials. It was a privilege and an honour; however, my travel to Washington in my capacity as= the Premier of the Yukon and to represent the interests, concerns and voices of= all Yukoners in the United States capital was extremely important.
In my response, I would l= ike to focus on the issues most important to Yukoners. We are, of course, impacted= by Canada’s overall relationship with the United States, as are all Canadians, but it is Yukoners who we are here to represent as their elected officials and it is their issues that are of primary importance to this Hou= se.
As the members of this Ho= use will recall, last month, the Member for Mayo-Tatchun put forth a motion that this House support the efforts of the Vuntut Gwitchin people and the Gwich’= ;in people of the Northwest Territories and Alaska in lobbying for the protecti= on of the sacred calving grounds for the Porcupine caribou herd in order to preserve the health of the herd and the well-being of northern communities.= That motion received unanimous support, and I was proud to carry the message to Washington and to share it with environmental NGOs and to elected officials= . We offer our support in their efforts to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — the NGOs, obviously. This important region has immense environmental and cultural value and it is integral to the way of life for = the Vuntut Gwitchin and we owe it to them to defend its integrity at every opportunity.
The Shakwak road is anoth= er area of great concern to Yukoners, especially to those in the Kluane region who = live along the stretch of the northern highway that falls under the Shakwak agreement. Last month, this House also unanimously supported a motion that = was put forward by the Member for Porter Creek Centre, urging the government to continue discussions with the federal government and the State of Alaska to lobby the United States Congress to restore funding to the Shakway highway project. Again, I carried through by meeting with Senator Murkowski, Congre= ssman Young and Congressman Sullivan of Alaska to discuss this shared piece of infrastructure. The unanimous support of that motion was good to see and perhaps signalled a realization on the part of the Official Opposition that action was needed. It was, after all, the previous Yukon Party government t= hat was in power in 2012 when the US Congress did not include any funding for Shakwak in its transportation bill. My American colleagues were clear that = they value the road but that there’s no spending on Shakwak to be guarante= ed. After years of inattention, it now falls on this government to offer an alternative to the future if no American funding is forthcoming.
In addition to ANWR and S= hakwak, I had productive discussions about border crossings and security, as well as energy on my trip to Washington. These are issues that are important to Yukoners and to our Alaskan neighbours in light of our close ties when it c= omes to tourism, business and recreation pursuits.
As I said, Mr. Speak= er, it was a privilege and honour to represent the voices of Yukoners in Washingto= n, DC, and I will continue to represent the voices of Yukoners moving forward.=
Speaker: This then brings us to Question Period.
QUESTION PERIOD
Question re: Shakwak project funding= p>
Mr. Hassard: This past week, we’ve seen the Premier take an all-inclusive vacation to Washington, paid for by taxpayers. Before he departed, he told Yukoners he was going to push the Americans to provide more money for Shakwak. Yet, other than some hotel bills and some Twitter pictures of him attending fancy receptions, he appears to have come back empty-handed.
Can the Premier confirm t= hat he just spent thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money to travel to Washington to lobby US politicians with no success?
Hon. Mr. Silver: What I can say is that our federal counterparts and our counterparts in Alaska all agree about the importance = of the Shakwak project. Again, as I mentioned earlier on in my ministerial comments, there is no guarantee on the funding moving forward. The Yukon Pa= rty knew that in their negotiations and lobbying efforts. What I was critical o= f is the results. What is the plan, Mr. Speaker? That was what I asked the previous government. That is what I expect to be asked by the opposition ri= ght now.
What is the plan? Well, w= e are saying that if there is no funding for Shakwak coming forth from Alaska = 212; and this is what the Yukon Party refused to say — we have to look at alternatives. Those alternatives are gravel or chipseal.
Mr. Hassard: Of course, we understand that we need to lobby but, in opposition, the Premier set a bar of success for trips to Washington — that anything short of getting funding reinstated is a failure. So the Premier has failed his own self-imposed standard of success= .
Now, we know that Twitter= is important to the Premier, and we’re happy for him that he got to take= a bunch of photos of himself at fancy receptions but, unfortunately for Yukon= ers, his Twitter pictures won’t pave this highway. The Premier’s fai= lure to deliver on this trip means that this valuable source of revenue has all = but dried up.
So let’s talk about= plan B, Mr. Speaker. The Premier has now said that he is looking at — in= his own words — alternatives for this stretch of road.
As we just heard from the= Premier, is his alternative going back to a gravel road?
Hon. Mr. Silver: The conversations that we have had = with the federal government, whether it be the transportation industry themselve= s or the transportation department, or the congress folks or the senators, they = are all saying the exact same thing. There is no more earmarked funding. You can’t just get the federal government to earmark — like the previous fund that actually dried up under the previous Yukon Party governm= ent — so it falls to Alaska to make the decisions as to where they are go= ing to put their money for highways.
Again, we need to have th= at conversation, and for me to bring to the Legislative Assembly the real trut= h, which the Yukon Party failed to when we asked questions in the Legislative Assembly about what is plan B — well, yes, the plan B is either chips= eal or gravel. The Yukon government — as far as a whole-of-government approach to all of our highways — has to take into consideration the importance of roads if the Alaskan government decides not to move forward w= ith funding.
To say that my meetings w= ould end with one of the congresspeople standing up and saying, “Here is the money” — it’s interesting to hear that the Yukon Party th= inks that is how it works. Clearly it doesn’t. It is going to be in the bu= dget bills or it is not going to be in the budget bills. We’ll find out in very short order whether or not Alaska would like to continue the funding t= hat actually stopped under the Yukon Party government.
Question re=
: Business
incentive program
Mr. Kent: During the 2016 election campaign, the Yuk= on Contractors Association issued a press release regarding the business incen= tive program, or BIP. The association wanted all parties to commit to a meeting within 90 days of the election with the intent of expanding and improving t= he BIP.
Did the government meet w= ith the Yukon Contractors Association on this topic on or before February 7 of this year, and if so, when can we expect a review to be undertaken or changes to= be made?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I would like to thank the Yukon Contractors Association for pulling together so quickly in multiple meetings that I have had with them. Certainly in the run-up to the election, we sat = with them and they laid out a litany of challenges that they saw over the last number of years. We made a commitment to work with them on this. Right after being elected, we had an opportunity to sit down with them. I don’t h= ave the date in front of me right now, but we met our commitments and sat with = the contractors. We’re actually meeting with them again in the next two weeks.
Certainly we have made a commitment to use the tools that we have in the toolboxes as well as we can= , as we announced last week — but also really looking at some innovation I think that we can do within that program and listening to them on what is g= oing to work best for them to maximize their opportunities in the Yukon, to grow= the construction sector and to really put Yukoners to work through Yukon projec= ts.
That is a commitment we= 8217;re making to them, and I look forward to the conversation with them in the very near future as we wrap up here in the Assembly.
Mr. Kent: We look forward to hearing whether or not upgrades to BIP have been initiated, or when we can expect them to be done.=
Last Friday, the Yukon go= vernment announced that the BIP will be applied to the City of Whitehorse’s new municipal services building. One of the Yukon Contractors Association’= ;s recommendations that they made during the campaign was to require Outside f= irms to participate in BIP. They felt that this would make them more aware of lo= cal resources and opportunities.
Again, for the minister, = will the promised upgrades to BIP be in place prior to the tender being awarded for = the city’s municipal services building and has the Yukon government instituted the recommendation that I spoke of as part of its review?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: The announcement last week was real= ly to take into consideration BIP as it is under the current circumstances = 212; under the current toolbox, assuming that — I think I heard this corre= ctly — a set of Outside firms were well aware of the opportunities. I think that was the comment. I think the Contractors Association tends to do the external communications. Certainly I can talk to the city about that.
We’re in a really interesting time period this week, today of course being June 12. As of the= 15th of this month, through the CETA agreement now coming into play — the European trade agreement — actually any projects over $8.5 milli= on will now be excluded from BIP, so it’s very important that the city r= olls out their tender documents this week so that there is an opportunity to take advantage of the BIP.
Is there a commitment to = look at innovation when it comes to BIP as we move forward? Absolutely, there is. D= o we think that the Yukon Party might have missed some things? Absolutely, we do. Certainly we are excited about some innovation in that program as we commit= ted to during the election.
Question re=
: Procurement
policy
Ms. White: It’s no secret that many contractors have had a hard time working with Yukon government’s procurement and tendering process over the past few years. Most recently, concerns have been raised over the bidding process for phase 4 of the Whistle Bend subdivision. The government is using an RFP, or a request for proposal tendering system,= to determine who is qualified to bid on the project. This project is typically more time-consuming for bidders and not commonly used for this type of contract.
Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain why a request for proposal was used as part of the Whistle Bend phase 4 tendering process?
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I thank the member opposite for = her question. The reason that we’re moving to a request for proposal proc= ess is because it allows us to ensure more value, rather than a bid price throu= gh the tender process. The whole point is to ensure that we get the best value= . We recognize that we want to have land available for development here in the C= ity of Whitehorse and in other communities and that’s essential to manage= the growth and do it in a responsible way. Issuing the land development as a request for proposal will allow us to assess more value.
We’ve heard from the contracting community that they were appreciative of that move.
Ms. White: It’s interesting because I’ve heard the opposite from the contracting community.
Pre-qualification can be = assessed without a full RFP process and preference to local hire can also be integra= ted in a bidding process without requiring bidders to go through a request for proposal. In fact, the contracts for Whistle Bend phases 1, 2 and 3 were awarded through an item unit rate process without requiring a request for p= roposal. This is the case for most of the government’s utility-type contracts.=
Why is the tendering proc= ess for Whistle Bend phase 4 different from the previous phases? Is this project somehow different or is the government changing its policies?
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I will acknowledge for the member opposite that we have heard some mixed responses and some were favourable a= nd some were not — especially people who work on a price basis would see this as not a favourable move.
Is this a difference? Yes= , it is. The attempt here is to ensure that we get the best value in land developmen= t in Whistle Bend, so it is a direction that we’ve taken. I thank the memb= er opposite for her question.
Ms. White: Mr. Speaker, one important thing I’ve learned is that Yukon contractors want to do good work when given the opportunity. As one would imagine, there can be challenges between contractors and the department that come up throughout the completion of a project. These need quick resolution for the work to be carried out in a ti= mely fashion. Mediation or arbitration often allow for a much quicker resolution than costly and timely court proceedings. In fact, most government contracts include a clause to address mediation or arbitration issues. Unfortunately,= it doesn’t appear to be the case with the Whistle Bend phase 4 contract.=
Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain why this contract doesn’t contain provisions for mediation or arbitration?
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I will try to get back to the me= mber opposite. I mean, I don’t have the contract right in front of me to understand, but as the member opposite has noted, it’s a standard thi= ng to allow for mediation and arbitration within the contract and typically it’s built in. It’s not normal to try to go to the courts and in fact, that’s why we build this into the contracts. It’s in this= way that we understand that when there are differences of opinion between the successful bidder and us as the client — that there are ways in which= to resolve those differences. They’re pretty standard. I think that the Minister of Highways and Public Works could speak more to it if the members opposite request it.
Question re=
: Off-road
vehicle use, select committee recommendations
Ms. White: An all-party committee that studied off-r=
oad
vehicle use in the Yukon released its final report in 2011. Since then, the=
re
has been more public consultation, followed by a discussion paper, more pub=
lic
consultation, and finally, a few minor legislative changes during the 33
Mr. Speaker, we̵= 7;ve been asking for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas from ORVs= for a great number of years. We’ve been told by this government that a territory-wide plan to protect sensitive areas will take time and we unders= tand that. But Mr. Speaker, when will this government take concrete steps toward the interim protection of environmentally sensitive areas until a territory-wide plan exists?
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I don’t have a response to= the timing of the question. I will work to get back to the member opposite with= a sense of timing. I have heard on this topic that this is of concern to us a= nd we are interested in moving forward to ensure that how off-road vehicle tra= ffic takes place does so in a way that will protect our environment. So I’= ll get a response to the member opposite.
Ms. White: I appreciate the effort by the minister, = but I think he would find it would be underneath the Department of Energy, Mine= s and Resources where lands would be protected.
Mr. Speaker, in the = 33rd Legislature, amendments were brought forward and passed in the Motor Vehicles Act and one of those amendments was to make helmet use mandatory for minors 16 and under and for adults only when travelling on highways as identified in the act. There was= a fair bit of discussion in this Legislature, including from the Member for Klondike — now the Premier — who rightly pointed out the fact t= hat people don’t stop getting hurt once they turn 17.
Mr. Speaker, will th= is government be bringing forward amendments to make helmet use mandatory for = all ORV users in Yukon?
Hon. Mr. Streicker: Again, I thank the member opposi= te for her question. We are concerned about safety. I concur with the Member f= or Klondike who says that safety doesn’t stop at the age of 17. We recog= nize that these issues are of concern. I will get a response back to the member opposite.
Ms. White: I appreciate that effort by the minister = and I think you would find that it would be underneath Department of Highways a= nd Public Works, where you would find the Motor Vehicles Act.
Another recommendation of= the all-party committee was a call for licensing of all off-road vehicles. This very Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources was clear in this House when he identified the need for licensing in order to be able to identify individua= ls who rode in restricted areas and broke laws. Sorry, Mr. Speaker —= ; to correct myself — that was the Minister of Highways and Public Works w= ho said that. It’s clear that there are still many outstanding recommendations that need action items from the select committee’s report.
When is this government g= oing to make ORV regulations a priority by bringing forward stronger helmet laws, t= he licensing and registration of ATVs and the protection of environmentally sensitive areas?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I’ll touch on the ORV conversation, which the member opposite and I have had before in this Chamb= er. I’ll leave the regulations and licensing to others.
In the last opportunity t= o have a conversation on this in the Legislative Assembly, the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources and our team have committed to work, first and foremost, with the lands committees through the Council of Yukon First Nations. Our p= erspective is that not just segments of the population, but the population as a whole = has to understand the sensitivity and some of the damage that is done. We have begun those conversations, looking at a full strategy on moving forward to = look at how we deal with ORVs.
We’re still looking= at, of course — some of the first steps are having a dialogue with them. I t= hink we’re going to be in a position as we come back in the fall to bring = some news forward as I work with other departments on ways to deal with this specific issue. So we’re committed to it. The member has reminded me = over and over again that during the election process, we stood behind many of the recommendations from TOYA. We still stand behind those recommendations. It’s going to take us a bit of time just to pull together all the par= ties to get this done right, taking into consideration that, to date, we haven’t had a real strategy on this.
Question re=
: Liberal
Party ethical standards
Mr. Hassard: During the 2016 territorial election, a candidate for the Liberal Party was discovered to have been using inappropr= iate tactics to get vulnerable people to vote. Last week, this candidate pleaded= not guilty and their lawyer said that they expect the court case to last for fi= ve days.
My question is simple: Ha= s the Premier been summoned to provide evidence or testimony? If so, will the Pre= mier be cooperating fully?
Hon. Mr. Silver: No, I have not been asked.
Mr. Hassard: So my question was: If the Premier is summoned, will he be cooperating fully?
Hon. Mr. Silver: It’s not my job to speculate = in the Legislative Assembly. I have not been asked so far.
Question re=
: Liberal
Party ethical standards
Ms. McLeod: Regarding the Liberal candidate who is n= ow before the courts for improper use of proxy voting, there are questions remaining as to why this activity would have been undertaken. Did the Premi= er or anyone from the campaign review the rules with the candidate prior to or during the election?
Hon. Mr. Silver: We’re seeing this play out in= the courts. To be asked to answer questions lawyer-style here in the Legislative Assembly from the members opposite is not what I’m going to do. So ag= ain, we’ll wait until this concludes in the courts before we weigh into wh= at may or may not have happened.
Ms. McLeod: What we asked the Premier was if he or anyone from the Liberal campaign — his team — reviewed the rules with the candidate in question prior to or during the election. It is interesting that the Premier is now saying that he can’t answer this question because it is before the courts.
Is the Premier saying tha= t the investigation and the courts have been looking at his and his party’s involvement in this very serious charge?
Hon. Mr. Silver: The member opposite is trying to put some words in my mouth. Again, until this concludes in the courts, we are n= ot prepared to make any statements.
Question re=
: Fiscal
management
Mr. Cathers: Thanks to this government’s finan= cial mismanagement, we see $216 million in red ink planned about halfway through the Liberal mandate. This is a bill that the Premier appears to pla= n to leave for future generations to pay for, and it works out to roughly $5,640= of new debt for every single Yukoner.
That is not to mention in= creased taxes planned by this government and the federal counterpart, including the carbon tax scheme that this government signed on to, which will also increa= se the amount we all pay in goods and services tax.
Thanks to this Premier, b= y the end of the day, Yukoners will be drowning in debt and paying more in taxes unless he changes course.
Will the Premier abandon = his plans to drive the Yukon deep into debt?
Hon. Mr. Silver: Boy — someone should have ask= ed that of the Yukon Party five years ago.
Mr. Speaker, we̵= 7;re very excited moving forward as far as trying to get this financial ship bac= k on course. The member opposite can continue to make allegations that, all of a sudden because the Liberals are in, we’re now currently in some kind = of financial dire straits. It turns out that the business community, other governments in Yukon, and pretty much everybody but the Yukon Party all agr= ee it’s time to make sure that the financial responsibility of governmen= t is laid with the elected officials of this Legislative Assembly and that is wh= at we’re prepared to do.
The member opposite can c= ontinue on with his dialogue — which I think only he is actually paying atten= tion to — but most people who I talk to outside in the business community = are so thankful that we are moving through this new process where we will get t= he financial stewardship piece, which is a requirement of the elected official= s of this Legislative Assembly, back on track.
Mr. Cathers: This Premier conveniently forgets that = they inherited roughly $100 million in the bank — the rosiest financi= al situation that any party has ever seen on taking office.
We have encouraged the Pr= emier several times to reconsider his high-spending plan. We have asked him repeatedly if he will commit to it not going any further than $216 mil= lion in the hole, which we see in his current financial plans. So far, the Premi= er has refused to, which suggests to us that the Liberals may be hiding the fu= ll extent of the damage they intend to do to the Yukon’s finances.
The Premier told a parlia= mentary committee that he wants changes to the debt cap to free up the ability to borrow more money. If the Premier will not commit to not going further into debt than he is currently planning, will he at least let Yukoners know how = deep in debt he intends to take this territory?
Hon. Mr. Silver: On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, = our intent is to, within the mandate of the next five years of this Yukon Liber= al Party government, get us out of the financial crisis in which we were left = by the Yukon Party.
When the member opposite = says that it was either us or them who created the situation, I want to know whe= re his numbers are. Did he include the operation and maintenance requirements = for Whistle Bend that were not in any previous budget? Did he include the forec= ast of spending for all of these assets that were not forecasted, as far as man= ning and putting people in these buildings? I don’t think so.
Again, we have had this conversation in the Legislative Assembly ad nauseam, and we’re not hearing from the member opposite what specifically it is about the Liberals’ Financial Advisory Panel or our attempts to get our ship ba= ck on course that he particularly doesn’t like. I don’t know which programs and services the member opposite is talking about.
He keeps on trying to put= words in my mouth as far as increasing the debt, but to the contrary — and we’ve said this ad nauseam in the Legislative Assembly — our job and our course is to get us into a financial situation that is back on trac= k so we’re not mortgaging the bad decisions of a previous administration o= n to our next generation.
We’re very happy th= at we’ve budgeted the $250,000 to cover the Financial Advisory Panel. To answer a previous question as well, no panelist has been paid for their contributions on this work to date. I’m not sure where they get their questions, but maybe sometime they should change them up a little bit for t= he last week of the Legislative Assembly.
Mr. Cathers: The Premier is trying desperately to an= swer these questions, but Yukoners know that for 14 years, the Auditor General g= ave the Yukon Party government a clean bill of financial health, and I think Yukoners know very well that they can trust the Auditor General’s assessment of the situation more than the Liberal washing machine and their spin cycle.
The Premier is in the Hou= se when the previous minister told him the costs that were budgeted for the Whistle Bend continuing care facility despite his claims, and the Premier knows that they inherited roughly $100 million in the bank. So again, the question the Premier didn’t answer is: If he plans to take the territory deeper into debt than the $216 million in red ink we see by halfway through t= his mandate, how deep does he intend to go?
Hon. Mr. Silver: Again, the member opposite should listen to the answers. I said that we’re not intending to take us dee= per into debt. Our intention is to get this ship back on course again.
The member opposite can cherry-pick individual statements and try to make it seem like there wasn’t a disaster on the horizon, but I don’t know who he is necessarily trying to convince because Yukoners are paying attention. The Y= ukon business community, over and over again, has commented how they’re ha= ppy with the new hires that we’ve done in the finance office, the 10.6 FT= Es, to make sure that we actually do more financial scrutiny when we make decis= ions politically. That’s something that we should have learned from the pr= evious administration.
Hearing in the Legislative Assembly, for the first time, about projects like a 300-bed Whistle Bend facility, hearing in the Legislative Assembly for the first time about made-in-Yukon curriculum decisions for K to 12 — these are the things that are going to cause turmoil in the economy when we don’t know whe= re the money is coming from. Commitments that weren’t made in a campaign cycle but out of the blue in the Legislative Assembly — that’s = what we’re trying to get away from.
It’s these types of= decisions that cause pandemonium in the departments, and so we are working with the departments on a whole-of-government approach when it comes to the financial stability of Yukon, because this is Yukon taxpayers’ money and we hav= e a critical role in making sure that the money is spent with the highest degre= e of financial stability.
Question re=
: Municipal
building project
Ms. Van Bibber: Last week, the government announced = that it would be providing funding to go toward the construction of a new munici= pal building. I’m wondering if the minister is in a position to tell us h= ow much funding is going toward this project, and is this funding accounted fo= r in this year’s budget?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I would just like to help the member opposite out. The announcement last week actually talked about the business incentive program. How that program works, actually, is — it’s a program that provides a grant back to local manufacturers and contractors, = so it doesn’t go directly to the municipality. The announcement was that= we would support and use that program for the project.
So it’s within our projected budgets within our Economic Development department, and it’s certainly not something that we did out of the budget.
Ms. Van Bibber: If that’s the case, I’m wondering if the cost of the municipal building is higher than current estimates, and will the Government of Yukon’s contribution to the pro= ject increase?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I think the member opposite is kind= of confused within this particular program. Is there an opportunity to affect = the pricing? Certainly our local contractors and manufacturers with this grant = can look at more optimal pricing, which is great for our local municipality. It’s good for local contractors. I think I’ll just leave it at that. There needs to be some clarity from the opposition on maybe some of t= heir questions on this one.
Thank you, Mr. Speak= er.
Question re=
: Government
e-services
Mr. Adel: My question for my colleague, the Minister= of Highways and Public Works, is: Does the government have a plan to expand e-services?
Hon. Mr. Mostyn: I thank my colleague for the questi= on.
This government does have= a plan for e-services. Digital services give people access to government services = when they want them. They can get those services from their home, their work or = on the go. We know how important this is when Yukoners are working in rural Yu= kon or down in Vancouver. They don’t want to wait in line; they don’= ;t have to wait in line; they can actually get the service from this governmen= t that they need from the comfort of their own homes. These services are fast and they’re secure.
It should be an option for Yukoners to access these services. This government is going to do its best = to provide that convenience and service to the people of the territory.
Mr. Adel: What are the services that are being plann= ed?
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Speaker: Yes, Mr. Clerk, I get it. I’m just unaccustomed to this questioning, but there’s a first time for everything.
Hon. Mr. Mostyn: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This i= s a new world for all of us, I think. This doesn’t happen very often.
There are a lot of e-serv= ices contemplated. We already have angling licences and camping permits availabl= e, and we’re seeing an enormous uptake in these services. I think, in so= me cases, 60 percent of these licences are being handed out online so it’= ;s something the public is clearly hungry for. It’s something that has b= een neglected, and not a lot of resources have been put into this over recent history. We want to change that and make sure that the people are served by their government.
We want to make informati= on available to the people of the territory. We want to make sure of services. Drivers’ licences are something that we want to start to make more accessible to people — registering their vehicles and that type of th= ing online. We have e-hunting services, a civic-engagement platform, open-data repository — we’ve spoken about that in this House — a Yu= kon corporate online registry and a new website platform. As well, as of this spring, permit-hunt authorization — a part of e-hunting — is online.
Speaker: The time for Question Period has now elapsed. = p>
We will now proceed to Or= ders of the Day.
Orders of th=
e Day
Hon. Ms. McPhee: 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 the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.
Motion agreed to
Speaker leaves the Chair
Committee of=
the
Whole
Chair (Mr. Hutton): Order, please. Committee of the Whole will now come to order.
The matter before the Com=
mittee
is general debate on Vote 27, French Language Services Directorate, in=
Bill No. 201,
entitled First Appropriation Act, 2=
017‑18.
Do members wish to take a= brief recess?
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.=
Recess
Chair: I will now call Committee of the Whole to order. <= /p>
Bill N=
o. 201:
First Appropriation Act, 2017‑=
;18
— continued
Chair: The matter before the Committee is general debate = on Vote 27, French Language Services Directorate, in Bill No. 201, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2017‑18= .
French Language Services Directorate
Hon. Mr. Streicker: Thanks, Mr. Chair, and I wo= uld like to — on behalf of all of us in the Legislative Assembly — welcome here the department official, Monsieur Patrice Tremblay, director f= or the French Language Services Directorate.
Before I do my not-very-l= ong budget introduction for the French Language Services Directorate, I would j= ust like to mention that a former colleague of Patrice’s, who has just recently retired from the French Language Services Directorate — Jean= ne Beaudoin — received the Boreal Award last Thursday from the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada. Every year the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne has awarded the prix Boréal to a noteworthy individual or group in recognition of contributions made to the development of francophone and acadian communities.
I’m very pleased th= at it was Jeanne. For those of you who know her, she was a real force and a great dancer as well.
J’aimerais mentionn= er qu’une ancienne employée de la DSF, Jeanne Beaudoin, a re&cced= il;u le prix Boréal de la Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes jeudi dernier. La FCFA remet à chaque année le prix Boréal à un individu ou à un grou= pe qui s’est démarqué par sa contribution au développem= ent et à l’épanouissement des communautés francophon= es et acadiennes.
Mr. Chair, Monsieur = le Président,
I’m pleased to pres= ent the French Language Services Directorate budget for 2017-28.
J’ai le plaisir de = vous présenter le budget de la Direction des services en français = pour 2017-2018.
The French Language Servi= ces Directorate budget forecasts operation and maintenance spending of $5,054,0= 00 to support the directorate’s operations as well as French language service delivery in all departments. This represents a substantial increase from previous years. It is in fact twice the amount budgeted last year. The increase is driven by a substantially larger federal contribution to the Yu= kon toward a sustainable implementation of the Yukon Languages Act.
We are thankful to Canada= for their 2017‑18 funding envelope of $4 million.
Nous remercions le gouver= nement du Canada pour leur contribution.
This represents a $2,250,000-increase that will help to offer more and better services in Fre= nch and is fully aligned with our government’s commitment to enhance Fren= ch language services, with a strong focus on Health and Social Services. Yukon government’s contribution remains stable at about $1 million. The increase in budget will be allocated mainly toward the implementation of ac= tive offer across all departments, including the designation of bilingual positi= ons within departments and strengthening the French Language Services Directora= te’s capacity to provide support to departments.
Personnel budgets total $3,666,000 in this budget. Over 40 percent of the salary budget will go to funding new designated bilingual positions in departments.
Other costs account for $1,351,000. This funding will be used toward active offer material and training, enhanced French presence on the web and social media, French lang= uage training, recruitment and staffing costs, including language proficiency assessment for designated bilingual positions, professional contracts, lease costs, travel, advertising, program materials, communication costs and other small costs.
Over 60 percent of this a= mount will be invested in other departments — $810,000 toward, among others, community outreach and enhanced communications, bilingual signage, forms, translation of publications, advertising, program materials and staff train= ing, and $37,000 will cover transfer payments related to our cooperation and exchange agreement with the Government of Québec. I’m happy to answer further questions on this. This is a way in which the Government of Québec has decided to try to enhance the French language across the whole of the country and we are recipients of some of that — our membership to the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, whic= h I will be co-chairing later this month, and a contribution to the celebration= of Canadian Francophonie in June of 2017. Capital spending remains at $4,000. I look forward to several questions on that topic. It will provide for computer replacement.
These brief comments high= light the key components for the directorate expenditures and activities planned = for 2017‑18.
Monsieur le Présid= ent, ces quelques commentaires permettent de mettre en lumière les principaux éléments des dépenses de la DSF et du plan d’activités pour l’exercice 2017-2018.
I look forward to answeri= ng any questions the members may have on the 2017‑18 budget for the French Language Services Directorate.
Mr. Hassard: I would just like to thank Patrice for being here with us today and I would like to thank him and all of the emplo= yees at the French Language Services Directorate for all of the work that they d= o.
Of course the francophone community here in Yukon is very significant and that’s why the servic= es provided by the directorate are so important. Many Yukoners rely on them ev= ery day. Even though they are a small directorate, I have to certainly give them kudos for all that they are able to accomplish.
I would also like to than= k the minister for his opening remarks as he definitely did answer some of my questions, which weren’t many to begin with. I promised Patrice outsi= de before we came in today that I would not try my hand at French. I commend t= he minister for his French language speaking here today, but I’ll pass, thank you.
The first question I had = — and I know that a large part of this question falls under the responsibilit= y of the Minister of Education, but I’m curious if the minister or officia= ls could provide us with an update, however brief that may be, on the planning, consultations and preparations for the French language school.
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I will give a modest update as I= can and I’m able, and I will deflect any deeper questions to the Minister= of Education.
I know that the work is o= ngoing. I know that we have budgeted $8 million in this budget. I know that th= ere are meetings going on with Highways and Public Works because of their role = in public works — in buildings. I know that we are still in conversation with the federal government regarding support that they might contribute to= ward the building. That’s through Heritage Canada and we’ve had good meetings. I will be sitting down again. As I mentioned in my opening remark= s, Mr. Chair, I think it’s on June 22 that I’ll be in meetings where Minister Joly and I are co-chairing national meetings on French. I will have an opportunity to have a bit of a conversation with her on behalf of my collea= gue, the Minister of Education.
We are still closely work= ing with the CSFY — Commission scolaire francophone du Yukon. I was present at some of the early meetings before the legislative Sitting with CSFY and they were very productive meetings. They were what led to decisions in the budget that we see before us. I don’t have any specific dates or things to be able to contribute at this point, but if there are further questions, I will try to get the Minister of Education to respond directly.
Mr. Hassard: With respect to programming for the sch= ool, what role does the French Language Services Directorate play in that regard= ?
Hon. Mr. Streicker: By the way, I would like to thank the Leader of the Official Opposition for his kind words to the department. I’m not sure — maybe it was two weeks ago now — but when = the Department of Community Services was here in Committee of the Whole and the= re were comments that came from both the Official Opposition and the Third Par= ty, I shared those back with the departments. I specifically pulled them out of= the Blues. Thank you very much for those compliments. I know that it goes a long way when department officials hear it from all sides of this Legislature. I= t is well-received.
The role of the French La= nguage Services Directorate is services to students. Those students are like other French language citizens, so we work to provide services as much as possible across various departments. When it comes to the education and the classroom planning, that falls most squarely with the Department of Education. I happ= en to have sat in on some of those early conversations and they were very good conversations about the coursework planning. Some of it depends, for exampl= e, on the size of the classes and things like that. But the co-location next to the F.H. Collins school — we will do our best to ensure that the Fren= ch school is vibrant and used to increase French language as much as possible = here in the territory and that’s an ongoing conversation.
Again, this department = 8212; our role is just to ensure that in providing services for students, like al= l of the francophone community, are as broad as possible.
Here is an example that i= s just coming out of the ether for me. We have officers within the department who = are responsible for student financial aid. That’s an example of where we might be providing services for those students.
Mr. Hassard: My final question before handing it ove= r to the much-more-fluent-in-her-French Member for Takhini-Kopper King. My last question for the minister is: When this new school is operational, does the directorate feel that they will need more staff allocated, or will it have = any affect at all in terms of staffing?
Hon. Mr. Streicker: We don’t anticipate within= the department that we will see an increase as a result of the school. Our job would be to maximize French language service capacity, and that is ongoing.= In fact, our primary focus under this growth that we’re seeing from the = increase in federal funding — we’ve identified that mostly this will go toward health and wellness, so more toward the Department of Health and Soc= ial Services.
I think we will be doing = a pilot project on a bilingual clinic, and that’s where we will try to seek to provide more French language service. There will be some that goes to Education, and we have identified that already, but it wasn’t specifically because of the school itself. That school is a French school a= nd it will work and be in French, so we’re not sure how much service fro= m us will be required.
On the other hand, when w= e think about our citizens and going to seek health care, sometimes they will be in stressful situations and sometimes they really want to be able to clearly understand what’s going on and be able to express themselves clearly. That sort of situation is why we have prioritized health and wellness as the next place where we would put emphasis on additional French language servic= es.
In answer to the Leader o= f the Official Opposition, the answer is that we don’t anticipate that there will be more services required than we have already been providing.
Ms. White: Merci Monsieur le Président. Je remercie le Directeur de la direction des services d’être venu = en chambre, c’est toujours un plaisir, et un grand merci à tout le département.
Instead of going on ̵= 2; because at this point Hansard will not be able to translate — I just = said thanks and it’s always nice to see the official from the French langu= age — I have the words in English now — thank you for coming.
The fascinating thing abo= ut this budget is that it has grown substantially over time, and the really fascina= ting thing is, as I was telling the director, that I don’t often give this department a hard time anymore because the first time it was ever debated w= as in 2012 when I asked during Highways and Public Works to speak about the Fr= ench Language Services Directorate.
There have been really big changes. I appreciate the work that the department has done and the growth = that continues to happen, because we know that our francophone population — our self-identified francophone population — in the territory continu= es to grow. That is absolutely fantastic.
I would like to offer my congratulations for the lobbying to the federal government to increase our funding, because that has been a huge thing. To know that the base funding = has increased by $2.25 million is incredible, because up to the point wher= e I started asking questions in 2012, it had been stagnating with the transfer amount. A big congratulations to the Yukon government as well, which has now been adding its own money to the department funding, which also didn’= t happen before.
At this point, all I have= is congratulations and my thanks. I appreciate that we have active offer throughout government services, including in my office. I appreciate that we have translation services available 24 hours a day at the hospital at criti= cal times. Those big changes have meant a lot for the francophone population. <= /p>
Alors je vous remercie. T= hank you very much. J’ai hâte de voir ce qui va arriver l’ann&eacu= te;e prochaine, si on continue toujours de changer. I look forward to changes next year and to see what kinds of growth and things can happen. So I thank the department. I thank the minist= er. Hopefully, next year, there are more exciting announcements.
Hon. Mr. Streicker: I thank the member opposite for = her comments. I sense that we’re going to be running out of questions very quickly. There are just a couple things that I wish to add.
We are the third largest = per capita population of French in the country — after Québec and = New Brunswick. It’s sort of surprising. Some people don’t know that= . It is with a sense of pride that I get to stand up and say that.
One of the things that ha= s been changing is that a lot of our students are studying French. That is great. I think that one of the things I will say — and when I’ve gone to national meetings in my capacity as the Minister responsible for the French Language Services Directorate — we’ve been talking with the fed= eral government about indigenous languages and how important they are to Canada,= but to the Yukon in particular.
I was very happy to see t= hat — it’s no longer part of the Yukon government’s negotiati= on mandate, but I know that the Council of Yukon First Nations has been negotiating for more funding for indigenous languages. They have had some success as well.
In particular here, it isn’t just the money that we are getting this year, because it will be growing next year and the year after that. It is $14 million over the = next three years. It begins at an increase of $2.25 million but, by year 3, it’s an increase of $3.5 million. So we are very excited to continue. It dovetails very well with the growth of French in the young peo= ple of the territory. I look forward to the day when we’re a strong destination for our francophone immigrants and our francophone visitors. It= ’s nice to see the work that our community partners are doing around the front= of tourism. It is a strong story and we expect it to continue along that path = for the next two years. Then we’ll see where we land.
I appreciate the comments= and questions from the member opposite.
Chair: Is there any further general debate on Vote 2= 7, French Language Services Directorate?
Seeing none, we will proc= eed to line-by-line debate, starting at page 12-7.
Ms. White: Pursuant to Standing Order 14.3, I request the unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines in Vote&n= bsp;27, French Language Services Directorate, cleared or carried, as required.
Unanimous c=
onsent
re deeming all lines in Vote 27, French Language Services Directorate,
cleared or carried
Chair: Ms. White has, pursuant to Standing Order 14.= 3, requested the unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem all lines= in Vote 27, French Language Services Directorate, cleared or carried, as required.
Is there unanimous consen= t?
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Unanimous consent has been granted.
On Operation and Maintenance
Expenditures
Total Operation and Mainten=
ance
Expenditures in the amount of $5,054,000 agreed to
On Capital Expenditures
Total Capital Expenditures =
in the
amount of $4,000 agreed to
Total Expenditures in the a=
mount
of $5,058,000 agreed to
French Language Services
Directorate agreed to
Chair: We will proceed to Vote 53, Department of Ene= rgy, Mines and Resources, at page 9-7.
Do members wish to take a= brief recess?
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 10 minutes.=
Recess
Chair: Order, please. Committee of the Whole will now com= e to order.
The matter before the Com=
mittee
is continuing general debate on Vote 53, Department of Energy, Mines a=
nd
Resources, in Bill No. 201, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2017‑18.
Department of Energy, Mines and Resources — continued
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I believe that, when we finished of= f in our last session, the Member for Copperbelt South was just getting us some questions on abandoned mines. I think we want to maximize our time today for questions from the Official Opposition and the Third Party, so at this poin= t, I’ll just hand it over so we can continue on with our questions.
Mr. Kent: Just to conclude my line of questioning on Assessment and Abandoned Mines, obviously we touched on Clinton Creek, Mount Nansen and Ketza River, and I believe we talked a little bit about Keno Hil= l as well and what is going on there. I should welcome back Deputy Minister Mills and ADM Abercrombie as well. Thank you for returning and supporting your minister today.
I will just conclude my q= uestions on Assessment and Abandoned Mines with some specific questions related to t= he Faro mine site.
The federal government, d= uring my time as minister, changed up the model for how the Faro mine site was manag= ed. I believe the Yukon government — and if this has changed back, or cha= nged in any other way, perhaps the minister can clarify — was looking afte= r the care and maintenance side. The federal government had chosen a new contract= or to manage the remediation design at the site.
There were some discussio= ns about perhaps even going further than that, so I’m just wondering if there = are ongoing discussions with the federal government on how the Faro mine site is going to be managed going forward, and whether or not there are also discussions going on to move to the model that we’re now seeing instituted at Mount Nansen, where there is a role for the private sector in= the final remediation and perhaps looking at some of the economic opportunities that exist there.
I’ll turn the floor= back to the minister and we can start there on Faro. I have a few more questions wi= th respect to Rose Creek, but we’ll just start with that.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I am going to take this opportunity= , if the member opposite would be so obliged — there are a couple of areas that we touched on in our last conversation on abandoned mines, and I would just like to touch on some things for the record so that we are clear here = in the Assembly.
On Mount Nansen, the memb= er has just sort of asked — the premise of the question was as it pertains t= o a water licence and, with the water licence in place, if the water licence wi= ll transfer. I think that, during those conversations, I touched upon — = some of my notes from the department, which are always very well put together — the fact that we have to go through the process. If I misspoke R= 12; at this particular time, we’re using — so it’s section 37= of the Waters Act. It’s the = same thing that is in place right now in Faro, and it’s basically an emerg= ency measure. The member opposite knows what the situation was over the last num= ber of years.
Certainly we are, again, = moving toward the YESAA process and then looking to move through application for a water licence to formalize that. Our intention is that, as we also look to = find an individual, corporation, company, entity or partnership that will begin = the reclamation project and take the ownership position in that particular proj= ect, we will be looking to transfer the water licence, so I just wanted to touch= on that.
Secondly — and this= is something that was touched upon as well — before I get into the quest= ions on Faro. We talked about Bill C‑17, and I think I was confused o= r I misinterpreted the question from the member opposite. We were talking about= an MOU in general, and I think I spoke to sort of a longer dialogue on the MOU between First Nations and Bill C‑17. I believe that the member opposite — my esteemed colleagues here from the department quickly saw — was really trying to get an update about what’s happening with Bill C‑17, but the MOU that exists — it is an MOU focusing= on this, but it’s really between Canada and Yukon government. It’s= a conversation piece looking at Bill C‑17. I just wanted to give s= ome updates. I think that’s what the member opposite was looking for.
First Nations have indica= ted that they would like to conclude the YESAA reset MOU as soon as possible, so that’s still underway. The parties met on May 12, 2017 and have reach= ed agreement on the reset MOU, so a final version will be prepared and provide= d to the respective parties for review and approval in the near future.
The other part of this, of course, is that the federal government — as we’ve talked a lot about in the House and as we had unanimous support on the Bill C‑= ;17 piece, some of the key questions — especially from industry and from municipalities and others who are affected, and the Yukon government as well — continue to be: What does the transition look like?
Just a couple of key poin= ts — the parties are in preliminary discussions about the bill’s transition and implementation — Canada and Yukon First Nations — and, given the legal implications, it’s important that the parties ha= ve a common understanding of the next steps, which we’re all looking for a= nd we know that’s a big priority, and what this will mean to the parties. Yukon is engaged with Canada on this topic and has also invited CYFN to joi= n in these discussions in advance of this bill. Certainly everybody does underst= and that this is a priority and we have to take a look at what the future situa= tion will be.
Over and above that, Cana= da will provide legal interpretation and communications on some of this key work as= they move toward the passing of the bill, but Yukon has voiced its expectation to Canada. We’ll be communicating this as well, and certainly they’= ;re the driving force behind this. It’s in response, of course, with the support of all of us now — but certainly it’s a federal process= . In anticipation of Canada’s legal interpretation, YG has begun prelimina= ry work on an internal transition plan here and has identified the implementat= ion guidelines that will be amended once it is clear how Canada is interpreting= its legislation.
I just wanted to put that= on the record. I just want to commend the departments for their work on this.
I have just a couple othe= r points — and it has been identified here because of our unanimous support on= the motion to support Bill C‑17 on May 17, so a letter to the federal minister is being drafted so we can communicate the desire for this bill to advance in the parliamentary process. I think that, on this particular topi= c, I do truly believe that we have to work together.
I think there are some go= od points the Member for Lake Laberge — we haven’t had a chance to have a conversation on this, but I know he had identified some things that = he had thought about during the implementation of Bill S‑6. I know = that my critic here today, the former minister, may also have some strategies th= at we have to look at. Certainly I do believe it’s time for us to, as we= go into the summer, put some of the partisan politics aside because truly the solution that comes after Bill C‑17 is going to be important for everyone.
On the Faro piece, certai= nly — yes, the member opposite was correct — it’s under the s= ame governance structure. We still have the responsibility of care and maintena= nce — the contractor who won the tender when the previous government was still in place. Now we work toward a series of strategies, but of course on= e of the things that we have to do is to look at doing a comprehensive consultat= ion, which is part of our obligation and certainly you would have seen that this= has just rolled out as of last week.
Once again, when it comes= to how we’re dealing with water — it’s the same situation as Nan= sen, so it’s section 37 under our = Waters Act that we’re using. Here at the government, we want to go throu= gh a process where we formalize our plan. We want to make sure that we go through our environmental process and, using the Waters Act, we go through an application as well to ensure that we’re not using section 37, but we have the water licence. We think that is the right thing to do. It’s the appropriate thing to do. That is what many Yuko= ners want to see us do. Part of that is undertaking this consultation.
The Faro mine remediation= project — we have commenced a six-month consultation process last Friday to s= eek and incorporate input on the remediation plan for the Faro mine site. The public consultation is part of the development of a project proposal to be submitted to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board an= d is legally required under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act. I think the scope is q= uite robust. I think we are going to have an opportunity to hear from many, many Yukoners, organizations, affected parties, governments and communities.
The consultation process = is being led by the Faro mine remediation project team, which are the Government of Yukon’s Department of Energy, Mines and Resources and the Government = of Canada’s Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs. These two organizations are the co-proponents for the project proposal for the projec= t to be submitted to YESAB. While the engagement activity with the affected First Nations was extensive between 2006 and 2009, and culminated in an agreement= on project objectives in the selection of a remediation approach, this would f= orm part of the remediation plan. Engagement activity on the Faro mine remediat= ion project has been intermittent since 2009 and this will be considered a major activity here in the Yukon. We think we are going to generate a lot of inte= rest as we move forward on this.
I think the last question= from the member opposite was: Are we looking to a different model at this point?= I think the member opposite would know that it is a billion-dollar-plus reclamation clean-up. I can remember watching a documentary with the largest engineering project in southeast Asia at some point and it was a series of = dams in Kuala Lumpur. The funny part was that when they finished and they talked about how big it was, it was half the size of Faro. That gives you an idea = of just the magnitude of what we’re dealing with here.
As we move forward on this project, there are a lot of different players. I’m not and I think our government is personally not privy to them, but I think there is still an ongoing conversation between the Kaska nations and Canada. Certainly people= are coming to the table with many different models that could work, whether it’s the Government of Yukon continuing to do the care and maintenanc= e or we walk through with a project proposal — we have the quick works, the urgent works that have to be done and then a long-term plan. Certainly, although our government has had very positive conversations in Ross River w= ith leadership on a series of projects, I have not personally had an opportunit= y to sit down and get a complete understanding of where they want to see this project go.
Of course, in the Liard F= irst Nation, we now have a change in leadership. I’m looking forward to th= ose discussions, I think, over the next week with the new leadership, so there = are lots of things to be looked at. What I will state is that, as minister, I’m open to all the conversations as long as: we’re taking into consideration the health and safety of Yukoners first and foremost; we̵= 7;re having respectful dialogue with our affected parties, partners and governme= nts; and we’re — I think all of us here would like to see how we maximize the benefits, and those benefits are not just economic. Many benef= its can come from this project because we know in many ways how horrible the si= te can be, but now I think we all look at it as an opportunity. So how do we maximize the opportunities?
Dollars spent to date = 212; $303,541,529 is what we’ve spent to date on this. It is quite a bit of money and we need to move on and make progress on this. I hope that answers= the questions.
Mr. Kent: Of that $303 million and change ̵= 2; I guess it’s not change — but of the $303 million approximat= ely that the minister identified, perhaps he would be able to provide the House with a split on how much of that has gone into care and maintenance and how much of it has gone into remediation design.
The question with respect= to the mediation design, can the minister just identify for us who the new contrac= tor is for that design work that Canada has engaged with at the Faro mine? Agai= n, just to follow up on a question that I asked earlier, is there consideration being given to looking at a model similar to Mount Nansen or what happens at Keno Hill with respect to Faro where the private sector assumes a larger ro= le perhaps in the remediation design and construction side of things for the cleanup of that site?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: To go back to that, as I’ve stated, under the current circumstances we have a governance model that is = in place that certainly we have inherited.
I think that the consulta= tion process, as extensive as it is, is going to lead to not just dialogue about= the perspective from Yukoners — but because it’s such a broad undertaking, I think that we will have a series of options tabled. Truly, I= think we’re going to see a more calibrated delivery. I would think that out= in Kaska country on this one — I think it’s going to be interestin= g to see what is tabled. There are other self-governing First Nations that are affected by this project.
I think the question, very clearly, is: Are we going to change everything that is in place right now a= nd go out and look to see if somebody wants to acquire this? At this point, that’s not something that the department — we’re essentia= lly going down the exact same road that the member opposite was going down in t= his row. We’re looking at things the same way — at least from what I’m seeing off the documentation that I’ve been provided. But t= hat doesn’t mean that, after we go through a consultation period, we won’t see a series of other individuals tabling different concepts. I’m looking at how things were handled over the last few years, and certainly challenges — I think some tough challenges, especially when= you are trying to oversee a project of this size and within the governance structure.
So once again — rea= lly not trying to stickhandle around the answer. I think we’re going to be in= a scenario where we certainly see a bunch of different options. I think what we’re supposed to do with this design — the options throughout. It’s really a consultation on design and the process, but I think we’re going to have a lot of different types of feedback that occur. =
When we look at the care = and maintenance, we’re looking at about $12 million to $14 mill= ion annually right now. I don’t have an exact breakdown of the costs to d= ate. Look at this — and then all of a sudden, you do. These guys are quick= , as my friend, the member opposite, knows. So a few things — so Parsons, = of course, was the contractor who was in place to look at care and maintenance when we came into this job. Parsons spent — it’s about $13,683,= 000 to date. A few subcontractors locally have been involved in some of that wo= rk: A1 Delivery; C McLeod Contracting, equipment service; Finning, local, Yukon; Grey Mountain has been the lime supplier; Laberge as well, in Yukon; Pilgri= ms Landscaping, a Yukon company; RCL Transport; Ruskin; Small’s as well; TREXX, for delivery; Trimac, doing some lime storage, supply and delivery as well; Tu Lidlini —
Some Hon. Member: (Inaudible)
Hon. Mr. Pillai: Tu Lidlini? Okay. Perfect. Thanks to the member for helping me out with that.
That is the Kaska fuel distribution company — John Etzel. Veolia as well — those = are some of the companies that have been working with Parsons to date on the Fa= ro site.
We’re looking at ab= out $13 million. Just for the record, as we’ve seen, it’s between $12 milli= on and $14 million annually that we’re looking at. We’ll prov= ide the breakdown as well to the member opposite.
We’ll see who the f= ederal government has now engaged for some of that design work. I think CH2M Hill — I think they were working with them previously. I could be mistaken, but certainly we’ll reach out. We will get a better breakdown —= we had a pretty good breakdown there — and just get back on the design p= iece for the member opposite.
Mr. Kent: So with respect to the care and maintenance contract that is in place, the minister mentioned the contractor that won t= hat bid recently, Parsons, and I understand that they almost had 100-percent retention of employees from Faro with respect to the previous contractor th= at they inherited. I think they did a good job. The minister mentioned some of= the subcontractors who are working on that as well.
When that tender was adve= rtised and then eventually awarded, I think it’s fair to say there was some criticism of the government at the time. I think there was some disappointm= ent as well from some of the local companies that had submitted bids but weren’t ultimately successful.
Are there steps that the government is taking right now to give local contractors a better opportuni= ty to be successful? Perhaps this is a better question for the minister when he has his Economic Development officials there, but he did mention today that when the CETA agreement comes into place — I think the number he ment= ioned in Question Period was $8 million, and any projects over that won̵= 7;t be eligible for the BIP. Perhaps this project isn’t BIP eligible beca= use it’s federal dollars anyway, but if he can provide that update now or perhaps when we’re in Economic Development — and would the Canadian Free Trade Agreement have= any impact on this contract going forward as well?
So just to summarize, hav= e there been — or what steps are being taken to give local contractors a bett= er opportunity to be successful the next time the care and maintenance contract comes up? Will it be subject to any of the trade agreements, whether itR= 17;s the European trade agreement or Can= adian Free Trade Agreement?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I guess we’ll straddle two departments on that question.
I think it started off by= just some sort of preamble by the member opposite talking about the criticisms t= hat the previous government took on the contract. My experience has been that t= here have only been one or two interactions for me with Parsons leadership here — very positive. They’re very supportive in Faro — I thin= k we saw during the Association of Yukon Communities. I think that has been a go= od story in that case.
Part of the challenge = 212; I mean, having been in the private-business sector when this occurred, the challenge was, yes, there was a retention of individuals who were working there, and I think that is great. I mean there is a retention because, in m= any cases, that is the most efficient transition — getting people over wh= o are already in a community and working on a project. What I’m trying to t= ake into consideration as minister, and also with an Economic Development hat o= n, is — I want to be in a situation where we work with other departments= to ensure that there are opportunities for the individuals who are here to wor= k — the work force. That’s key.
Secondly, I do want to en= sure, though, that we’re continuously working in collaboration with CNIM to build capacity, because we know that this project will long outlast any of = us here in the Assembly. The opportunities are immense and very long term, so that = is key.
I also want to see Yukon companies, per se — companies that are here, that are listed as Yukon companies — taking these opportunities. I think that there certainly = was some concern out there, and I take that concern to heart.
So how do we move forward= — well, to move in to the realm of Economic Development — and the member opposite is correct. What my statement was today — we talked about the CETA — the European trade agreement. Within CETA, what we’re se= eing is that the implementation dates are focused on June 15, for most of it. I don’t have the whole schematic here — if all will be implemente= d on the 15th, but certainly some key elements of the agreement will = be put in place at that time. One of the key elements is that for programs over the value of $8.5 million, you do not have ability to use the current = BIP program, which we spoke about today. The BIP program is not eligible for programs over $8.5 million.
Once again, we have had t= his discussion here. We have had this discussion — the member opposite kn= ows from his work at Highways and Public Works. How do you look at strategically tendering? What’s the length of tender? Does this governance structur= e with Canada provide challenges to be more creative — yet playing within the boundaries and the rules to do this? I have requested right from the start = in the department — I think you have heard the assistant deputy minister= who is not with us today publicly state, during the procurement workshops that = we had in the fall, my undeniable focus on ensuring that we try to maximize benefits. I think, to be fair, the member opposite felt the exact same way.=
That is where we want to = go and that is what we have said. I have actually been able to work across party l= ines — just sharing prerogative on this one — with the Leader of the Official Opposition on this very file in Faro, just making sure that I even understand and our team understands all the capacity that exists in the surrounding communities and how we maximize this.
How do we at least improv= e the situation moving forward? The contracting community has certainly said that= the business incentive program — some changes to that would be advantageo= us. We have begun to continue to review the tools that we have. The member oppo= site is correct that we do have to take into consideration things like the Canadian Free Trade Agreement R= 12; how that plays out and how that affects our decisions. As a bureaucracy and= as a government, are our hands tied or what can we do?
I think that our team in = Economic Development has continued to look at a different set of strategies. Taking = into consideration the recommendations from the Procurement Support Centre and taking into consideration the work of my colleague, I think those series of strategies will bring us to a place where we can maybe be a little more strategic when we look at tendering. That is my hope. That is what we’= ;re setting out to do.
Certainly, this existing = care and maintenance contract has a bit of highway in front of it. We are not going = to see this go back out for awhile, but that gives us time to ensure that R= 12; really, the focus has to be capacity building. It has to be local opportunities. The Leader of the Official Opposition, in our conversation, certainly makes sure that communities such as Ross River and Faro, as well = as Whitehorse and the local individuals here have a chance to make sure that t= hey are competing for those dollars. I think that’s what everybody wants = to see.
I’ll leave it at th= at. I think, as we go into the fall, we’ll either come up with some good strategies on how to look at BIP, or the member opposite can criticize me f= or not getting it done. So I’ll leave it at that.
Mr. Kent: I will explore the BIP stuff a little bit further when the minister has Economic Development officials here with him because I know that’s where the program resides — in Economic Development.
Just to conclude on Faro,= I have some questions with respect to the north fork of Rose Creek. Again, when I = was in office as the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, there were some elevated zinc levels that came up in the north fork of Rose Creek. At the t= ime, the schedule was for construction on a permanent solution to the water-qual= ity issues that were being experienced on that part of Rose Creek to begin in l= ate 2017. I’m just looking for a schedule update from the minister with respect to that type of work.
I think the minister ment= ioned earlier that at the end of this consultation period that’s currently underway, they announced — I believe last week with respect to work at Faro — that they would be looking to move away from section 37 of the= Waters Act and get a water licence= in place. I certainly don’t want to put words in his mouth, but I just w= ant to get him to confirm whether or not that’s the case with respect to = Faro — or maybe he was talking about Mount Nansen at the time.
Again, if he can give us = an update on the construction of a permanent solution to the water-quality iss= ues at Rose Creek — it was my understanding they were to begin later this year. If there’s an update in that schedule, I would appreciate it. <= /p>
With respect to the budge= t that we’re debating, I know officials at the briefing mentioned there was = an amount for interim works. If we could get an update from the minister for w= hat other works are taking place at Faro — I don’t need exact amoun= ts, but maybe just some of the type of opportunities that will come forward = 212; or perhaps at a later date, he could either table or send opposition partie= s a schedule of the type of work that is being contemplated for this year, so t= hat we can talk to our constituents who happen to be contractors on what they c= an expect to see come up at Faro, and indeed, the other type 2 sites as far as= the tender management system goes this summer.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: Mr. Chair, I want to answer th= is in a fulsome manner. There was one quick point that the member opposite sai= d. Maybe he thought I was speaking to Mount Nansen. Can I just get clarity abo= ut exactly — and then I’ll go into answering all of those question= s.
Mr. Kent: This is with respect to the Rose Creek wor= k. I know when we were doing some of the interim works when I was minister and looking for some of the solutions to the elevated zinc levels there, those activities were being carried out under section 37 of the Waters Act. Is the current government still in discussions with= the federal government about pursuing a water licence for remediation of Rose C= reek and that broader Rose Creek? Perhaps that’s something that’s go= ing to come out at the end of this consultation period that the department is undertaking.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I’ll just give a bit of background. In October 2013, an increase in zinc levels was detected in Rose Creek. So 2013, I guess, was the first period when that happened and that’s immediately downstream from the Faro mine site. Further investigations done in November and December of 2013 identified the source = as a contaminated seep from the Faro waste rock dump that was surfacing. That process is also known as “daylighting”. That was in the north f= ork of Rose Creek.
Then between January and = March of 2014, zinc concentrations in the upper reaches of Rose Creek continued to increase. Just for the record here, this is years and years of this occurri= ng in the upper reaches. Then in some areas, it exceeded acutely toxic levels = for fish — pretty significant. In the fall of 2014, Environment Canada is= sued an inspector’s direction to Energy, Mines and Resources and INAC R= 12; both YG and the federal government.
The Assessment and Abando= ned Mines branch implemented two separate interim mitigations there, both desig= ned to collect the contaminated water that they identified, prior to it reaching the environment. These solutions included — the first strategy was a drill program designed to install interception wells that would pump the contaminated water from the source, prior to reaching Rose Creek.
The second development of= f the seepage interception system, which pumped a portion from Rose Creek to the = Faro pit — now what has changed I believe, and my officials can help me he= re if I’m wrong — is the fact that with Rose Creek — at the = time when the member opposite was in this role, both Canada and Yukon were worki= ng on the design work. Now, what we have seen is that the federal government is solely leading the conversation on this work.
Moreover, as the member o= pposite asked if I was just talking about the water licence — no, this was extremely alarming for me to see what was happening on the Faro site. I appreciate the help of the officials and the abandoned mines team, so certa= inly as soon as I was made aware of the fact that we were seeing these increases= in zinc levels, I had asked my officials to begin the conversation with Canada about going through the proper steps. As the member opposite as minister mi= ght have had at the time, certainly I have had experience where extremely well-versed Yukoners in this subject matter — and other Yukoners R= 12; came and talked to me and said, “Your government has to do the right thing”.
You’re right. What we’re doing is we’re going through the consultation piece and t= here has been — I guess I would say it’s in section 37 under the Waters Act. I think you’re a= ware of that. This was raised, I think, to my friend across the way when he was = in this role and we believe that we have to respect the Yukon assessment and regulatory regime.
As I stated here today, w= e have informed Canada that it is the right thing to do. My colleagues would be ve= ry concerned with me if I didn’t. Yukoners would say that we have to play this out — there are no shortcuts. We have reached out and informed Canada that the Yukon government requires and intends to seek a full assess= ment through this project and we have to go through the water licensing process.=
Mr. Kent: I just have one final question with respec= t to — I guess it’s not really with respect to Assessment and Abando= ned Mines because it is not an abandoned mine. It’s under temporary closu= re, I believe. Perhaps the minister can update the House if it’s not. It’s with respect to the Wolverine mine. Can the minister tell the Ho= use whether it still is under temporary closure? Are they moving toward abandonment? Are there any updates on the plans for the Wolverine mine that= the minister can share with the House?
I guess, the final part a= bout Wolverine that I would like the minister to update us on is whether or not Yukon Zinc is still paying for the temporary closure activities required through the — I believe they had a secure line of credit that they we= re using at the time. Perhaps there is something different now. Can the minist= er give us an update with respect to what is happening at Wolverine?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: Background for the members: Since Y= ukon Zinc Corporation announced the temporary closure of the Wolverine mine in January 2015, we have been working with the company officials to make certa= in that requirements are met to safeguard the public and ensure environmental protection.
The Leader of the Official Opposition has asked me probably only a few weeks ago — it feels like months ago, but at some point — about our discussions with China. We = did have opportunities as well to speak with the chargé d'affaires = at the Embassy in Ottawa. Certainly, when you think about Wolverine, this comes to mind because a lot of Yukon companies didn’t have the best experience= on that project. I think that the Leader of the Third Party has done a fantast= ic job of touching on a lot of good ideas on this particular topic. I look for= ward to working with the Leader of the Third Party on this particular topic. The= re are some really good concepts that I wasn’t aware of.
Wolverine mine continues = to be in temporary closure. Under the current requirements, Yukon Zinc Corporation is fully secured, Mr. Chair. The Government of Yukon holds about $10,588,= 000 in financial security under the corporation’s mine and water licences. Our Compliance Monitoring and Inspections branch continues to monitor the m= ine site to ensure the potential risks to the environment and people who work a= nd live in the area are minimized.
Through this work, branch= inspectors and officials from the Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board identified concerns early in my tenure with the storage of chemicals and reagents that were on-site. At that time, we directed that these be appropriately removed. We worked toward a strategy in the department oursel= ves, but luckily the company took it upon themselves to take on that responsibil= ity. Our follow-up inspections as recently as January showed that the reagents — some of them remained on-site. But then, I guess it was Yukon Zinc — there was a bit of work they didn’t get done but then, at that point, KBL was identified as a local company that was completely authorized= to move some of these hazardous materials. Then we lucked out again. So I was happy to see that Yukon Zinc, of course, contracted a separate company and removed pretty much all of the concerned items on-site, except for, I think= it was quicklime.
That’s a product th= at is commonly used for water treatment and is not covered under the current water licence for the mine site. I’m happy that they’ve responded. = p>
In my role, I would like = to see some of the robust numbers that we’ve seen in zinc. I would rather us= not be concerned about closure, but I guess at this time, I will just check with our officials. So at this point, the company has submitted an updated reclamation and closure plan and that was done on December 30, 2016. The re= view of appropriate security is in progress right now. I’m comfortable with what’s happening on the site — I think our team is, it’s = fair to say — and then waiting to see what’s going to happen. There seems to have been some activity. We always hear different ideas and concep= ts about them moving forward.
I think we’ve been = made aware through some of our staff and I’ve had some interest voiced to = me in meetings with different larger mining companies — I have also been informed — that there are some challenges with the site and the structure. I have requested that the Energy, Mines and Resources team conti= nue to have dialogue. We have. There have been quite a few conversations between our staff and them and we will see what will happen within the plan. So far, security is covered and the site is secure and safe and we’re still in dialogue with them.
Mr. Kent: I have a number of questions on the Compli= ance Monitoring and Inspections branch and the Energy branch as well, but I want= to make sure that we have an opportunity for the member of the Third Party as = well as my colleague from Lake Laberge to ask some of the sustainable questions = as well, so I will submit those in written form.
I do have a couple of qui= ck questions on the energy side of things though. The first is with respect to= the biomass strategy. I know this came up in Question Period a couple of times,= or perhaps only once, but last fall there were four pilot projects proposed — one in Haines Junction, one in Watson Lake, one in Teslin and one at Yukon College. There were requests for qualifications issued. Can the minis= ter give us a status update on these proposed projects? I think we’ve hea= rd some information with respect to Teslin and the TTC’s involvement in = that project, but perhaps the minister can specifically give us updates on what’s happening in Haines Junction and Watson Lake with respect to t= he biomass pilot projects.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: On the biomass piece, part of what = we have tried to do — when it comes to biomass, there is a tremendous am= ount of interest and activity that is taking place. Some of the work has been do= ne under the department — some of this work.
The Member for Watson Lak= e has asked me about this process. I can’t remember if it was just by correspondence or maybe here in the Legislature.
We’re moving toward= a request for proposal in Watson Lake. What we’ve tried to do throughout that process is that we’ve tried to talk to some of the teams in the early stages before we’ve gone through this process. There’s a = real concern about maximizing the envelope of opportunity to make sure that it is feasible. So that’s some of the early work that we’ve done. So = we’re going forward on that. I’ll just check — it is a request for a proposal that, I believe, we’ll be rolling out. I think it would have been done even quicker, but we were actually asked by at least one proponent before it went out to at least get some feedback from the industry. So that’s something we’ve done to ensure that we understand as a government what the needs of the private sector are when it comes to these = sort of projects.
Secondly, Haines Junction= — we’re at this point just considering next steps for Haines Junction. There is some other activity in Haines Junction. I believe that the Energy Solutions Centre and the contract — they worked with the federal government. I’m trying to remember which company and I think I was in= a previous role at that time. Anyway, that’s really what’s happen= ing — it’s an evaluation of feasibility for microgeneration for a h= eat and power system in the area. It’s really looking at taking into consideration biomass and looking at a business plan for the development, p= otentially, of a commercial-scale district heating system serving the Da Kų Cultur= al Centre and a proposed daycare that I think they’re looking to build r= ight now. So that’s part of the work.
Really, you have the two = projects in the communities and you have what’s happening in Haines Junction as well and, secondary to that, conversation with Cold Climate Innovation cont= inues and they’re looking to integrate. That’s work I’ll be doi= ng with my colleague from Highways and Public Works because of the connection,= of course, between the Property Management Division and the college.
The Cold Climate Innovati= on centre is looking at the work that they’re doing. I believe it’s pretty innovative technology. Then, of course, there are always conversations and interest that even comes to the Yukon Development Corporation. So that̵= 7;s another piece of it. Then, from time to time, certainly within the IRP R= 12; the integrated resource plan at Yukon Energy — although you don’= ;t see a lot of biomass reflected in the plan, certainly in the consultation t= hat has been done by the Energy Corporation, it has come up.
So I guess it leads me to= have a responsibility now, because I have the opportunity to look into all of these different areas. Then, of course, the member opposite touched upon, Teslin — so Teslin as well, on that particular project. The Teslin Tlingit Council is moving forward on their project as well. They have a series of u= nits that they have acquired — really trying to make sure that we support = them from both Economic Development as well as Energy, Mines and Resources.
So we have those three communities that are kind of going at a different pace and in a different model. I think where we have to be as a government — in my conversati= ons with my different associates from each department and the leadership in each department — we have to really have a clear and collaborative, but yet effective approach on this, because when I walked into government, one department is funding the purchase of a unit and another department is work= ing with a community or an organization to look at the technology. We have at l= east three different types of technologies that are being used from community to community.
This territory has had th= is conversation before. In my years working at the college, certainly there was infrastructure in place for biomass. Maybe it wasn’t as efficient at = the time and there are challenges with it, but certainly, we need to get it rig= ht. Then on top of all that, what I came to learn was that a lot of those depar= tments — not EMR but the other departments — are not even reaching out= to speak with our forestry director, who happens to be in charge of dealing wi= th the local supply, if that’s where we’re going to go. I mean, you’re still looking at shipping pellets up. There has been some discussion as well in the Watson Lake area about pellet manufacturing in th= at jurisdiction and then providing it. There are a lot of moving pieces. People are excited about it, but we have to get everybody to the same table, so th= at’s part of the work we’re doing.
Shane Andre within our En= ergy branch is doing a great job sitting on multiple national working groups whe= n it comes to energy and diesel reduction. He is sort of really at a point where= he is — excuse the sports analogy — kind of quarterbacking what’s happening between a series of departments. My conversations wi= th Economic Development are to plug into Energy, Mines and Resources, both from the Energy branch but also on the forestry side, and then ensure Cold Clima= te Innovation continues to have their dialogue, reaching out in our dialogue as well between some of our senior leadership — the assistant deputy minister at Economic Development — and ensuring that they’re ha= ving a dialogue with CanNor, which tends to be also funding things, and trying to get all of these different parties talking together so that we have appropr= iate infrastructure that works in the north, that’s efficient, that meets = the needs. At the same time, over time, I think the reason everybody seems to l= ike this is that it can be a real social enterprise. If we’re going to ma= ke it a social enterprise, then you’re going to have to actually be able= to produce the mass of biomass locally. So we have to have a strategy for that= .
That’s where weR= 17;re going with this. There’s lots of work. Many of the horses have left t= he stable, but we’re going to try to get everybody running together here quickly as we look at some of these potential projects. That’s what is happening. The questions the member opposite is going to submit in written = form — if you would like further information on the biomass work, we can provide that when we respond to your written questions on the other items. =
I thank you for your ques= tions last week and today.
Mr. Kent: A quick question on the IPP — I think it’s still working its way through the YESAA process — but that’s the proposed windfarm on Haeckel Hill. I’m just curious — at the time, one of the minister’s officials said that the IPP wasn’t complete yet but felt it would be in time to meet their timing requirements of, I believe, early next year.
Can the minister just giv= e us an update on how much work is still required to complete the IPP? Work was sta= rted and signed off by the previous government. Maybe there are some changes that they’re contemplating.
I know that, during the e= lection campaign, they did mention that liquefied natural gas would no longer be considered for the IPP policy. I’m just looking for the minister to confirm that this is the case, and I’m looking for him to confirm that the IPP will be ready if the Haeckel Hill wind farm project proposal receiv= es a favourable recommendation from YESAB and a favourable decision document from the appropriate decision bodies.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: There are a couple pieces there. I think the member opposite said “just quickly” and then in the s= ame sentence said “IPP”, and I don’t know if those things = 212; “quickly” and “IPP” — as he knows, go anywhere together.
This is a challenging one= . I need to know who that official is who said that — I’m joking.
There is some work that h= as been done, and certainly the member opposite knows that there is some work that = has been done. Our officials have met with the proponent of the Haeckel Hill project.
Once again we’re in= a scenario — it’s good. This is good theme-wise when you look at = what happened with biomass and all of those different players. IPP is the same w= ay. Some key people — so the president of the Yukon Development Corporati= on — which essentially is charged with setting a direction under the cur= rent OIC but working with Yukon Energy — wasn’t even part of the discussion, so that’s something that I have changed because I think t= hat it’s key that leadership needs to be at the table with Energy, Mines = and Resources as we work toward this.
I’m not sure exactl= y when they are ready to press “go”. I have seen some numbers on the h= ill — when they are ready to press “go” on the project on Hae= ckel Hill — and how long YESAA is going to take, but what I will say is th= at I think the key part of this discussion right now, as I understand it, is get= ting all the players together when it comes to pricing. I have had good opportun= ity to speak with the leadership at ATCO. This discussion is big for them. It’s not just how we deal with the wind project in Burwash, but in our early days in government, the First Nation in Old Crow has done extensive w= ork on their energy projects. We need to be able to have IPP in place on all of these.
I have tasked our officia= ls with moving as quickly as possible. This is a major priority. We thought we were going to be a little farther out on the wind project — still working there. They have already begun dialogue — the community corporation in Kluane with their leadership. Their CEO has begun to have those discussions= .
Part of our challenge is = going to be able to figure out, at this point, the differential between where people= are on pricing and what it is going to take to make it feasible, and then take = into consideration the social side of it and try to figure out what government’s role is. It is certainly a task that we are committed to= . We want to see these pieces in place.
I had a meeting this morn= ing at 9:00 a.m. with all the energy ministers in the country. Part of our discuss= ions were about where we’re going to go forward, but I think the theme that we’re all seeing in Ottawa is that there is some real significant fun= ding available — primarily for the north — as it is directed to redu= cing the use of diesel. That is good news but, in many of the case in the Yukon communities, the challenge becomes — as you provide funding to look at wind, solar, different types of production other than diesel, you then have= to have an agreement in place — this what we speak about today — w= ith these companies. The companies such as ATCO — that is where the hard = work has to be done. They are committed. Their leadership locally says, and has communicated to me, that they are committed to make this work and so those = are some of the key points.
Everybody has been waitin= g for this for a long time. We’re reviewing the independent power production policy and, really, the focus right now is the pricing mechanism.
Are we going to be ready = for this project on Haeckel Hill? I don’t have the timeline on exactly when th= ey are going to be ready to sell power. I have seen some potential timelines. = That would be our goal. Whether we are going to be able to meet the goal of the project on Haeckel Hill, I’m not sure. I would hope we can, but we ha= ve to have some very significant work done that hasn’t been completed ye= t. That is where I want to be. Our key really is for me — unless the mem= ber opposite knows, from when he was minister, about that project. I think it c= ame out of the blue for all of us. It’s good news — this potential project on Haeckel — but when I walked into this job, my focus was certainly the Burwash project — because financially it was on the boo= ks — and looking at the Old Crow project.
This one is a pleasant su= rprise. We are going to work as hard as we can to come up with some solutions for t= hat project, but I’m not going to commit in the House today, in the Legislative Assembly, without having strong timelines — especially wh= ile somebody is still going through an environmental process — that we’ll be able to meet this.
I will leave my comments = at that on this particular project, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Kent: While the minister was speaking, I did text him a link to the story in the local media. I don’t want to get anybo= dy in trouble, but that is where we found out from one of his officials that he felt those timelines could be met — of early next year.
Just to circle back, I di= d ask the minister in the previous question whether or not the government was goi= ng to exclude liquefied natural gas from IPP, which was something we had inclu= ded as an option for people. I just wanted to get clarification from the minist= er.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: On that particular topic, during the campaign we made a commitment we would exclude LNG from the IPP conversatio= n. I stick by that. At this juncture, we have no interest, we have stated that, = and that’s where we are.
Part of that question bec= omes that there’s a concept out there that you’re going to, first of all, see a mine that is built. You’re going to see this — wheth= er it’s in western Yukon or north Yukon or central Yukon. At least, I th= ink that’s where the other party was going, the opposition, while in government. The concept was that you would invest in this — or maybe coming out of the mining sector, maybe coming from industry in some way, ma= ybe from north Yukon on development there, on the oil and gas side of things. B= ut we have heard members from the opposition talk about it directly — no= t my colleague who is asking questions today, but I think it was the Member for Kluane. They really talked about: Are we losing opportunities here? Is this going to stop the project from going forward?
I’ll leave you with= a couple of things. If you build power infrastructure in a remote area, likely you’re building your own infrastructure because you are in a remote a= rea. The leadership at the Yukon Energy Corporation, Andrew Hall, took this conversation and best communicated it to the Legislative Assembly when aske= d. What we have talked about is — first of all, you have to think about transmission. It’s kind of in conflict. One is that you have a remote area where you’re going to build infrastructure, but, at the same tim= e, you’re going to have to build transmission at some point. If you can build transmission, then the only reason you’re probably not doing it= is because there’s a lack of capacity in the overall grid that you’= ;re connected to, or you’re going to build new transmission just from the= re to help another sector.
Where the real challenges= lie — as you move forward, the next challenge is that, at some point, there’s an end-of-mine life, or the commodities swing, or whatever ca= uses it, and then you’re going to be into a reclamation time. The real challenge for the Yukon Energy Corporation, or whatever in the territory wo= uld deliver the energy, is how you sustain that going forward.
At this point, without ge= tting into a conversation about north Yukon, I’ll just state that at this p= oint we don’t have an interest. Our focus right now is on renewables. There might be some more LNG infrastructure discussed — there will be, actu= ally — with Yukon Energy Corporation, but not for the IPP and we stand by that.
I do appreciate the e-mai= l, the text. But in all seriousness, when it does come to the wind project on Haec= kel Hill, I do want to see the environment process completed.
I know that the focus of = your e-mail was to say that a local or one of our officials spoke to this. I thi= nk we’re all trying to make sure that we’re pivoting to make this = work and I appreciate that, but certainly we’ll take a look at what the tr= ue timelines are on that project — not to discount what they’re do= ing. I think it’s great. I think energy entrepreneurs coming into the community on the side of renewables are most welcome, but we do need to make sure that we have the appropriate mechanisms in place to sustain that type = of infrastructure.
Back again, just for clar= ity, absolutely at this point, no interest on the IPP solution working with LNG — just for clarification on the record.
Mr. Kent: Just with respect to excluding LNG from the IPP program, maybe the minister can give the House a sense of the Liberal Party’s thinking on that commitment because obviously the Energy Corporation is operating existing LNG plants, ATCO energy was exploring opt= ions for a biofuel project, I believe, in Watson Lake to get that community off = of diesel that they currently use — or a portion of diesel that they currently use — so I’m just curious what the thinking is with respect to why it’s okay for the utilities to have liquefied natural = gas as a power source, but the party decided during the campaign that the IPP wouldn’t be allowed to burn natural gas. I don’t mean to be flippant, but obviously one’s not — the natural gas burned by t= he Energy Corporation or ATCO wouldn’t be cleaner than the natural gas burned by an IPP, so I’m just curious as to the thinking on that.
We did hear during the = 8212; I attended a meeting in Haines Junction with the Member for Kluane put on by = the Energy Corporation when they were talking about their 20-year plan and they= did have LNG as part of their plans going forward. I’m just curious as to= what seems like a double standard — if the minister can explain to the Hou= se why the two sets of rules — one for the utilities but then a different set for anybody who is interested in the IPP.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: Thank you for the question. The mem= ber opposite and I are probably in a unique situation to have this dialogue bec= ause we have both had the opportunity to work with Energy, Mines and Resources a= nd the Yukon Development Corporation.
With that in mind, I thin= k what we’ve seen on the LNG file here is that the LNG infrastructure that i= s in place tends to be a solution that is used only to fill particular gaps. We don’t see the use of LNG throughout the summer. It’s something = that was worked on over the last number of years, so to be clear, we’re looking at an additional turbine, but something that was worked on and built over the last number of years — and to be open, this was in conjuncti= on with Kwanlin Dün First Nation, which played a key role on that project= in partnership.
Our goal as a government = is to look at greening the grid as much as possible. I think that’s pretty standard across North America. The member opposite is kind of — I don’t know what she’s doing over there — gasping.
Anyway, I think it’= s pretty standard what is going on across the country in provinces and territories a= nd in North America — really trying to get to a point where people are reducing, if possible, the amount of fuels that they’re using.
Is it a double standard w= ith Yukon Energy? No, I think that we’re looking to, first and foremost —= the focus is to be able to use IPP policy to enhance the amount of clean energy= on the grid. That’s first and foremost. Am I going to sit here and get i= nto a philosophical debate on LNG? I think it’s a budget discussion. I certainly will have that any time with the member opposite. We can have it = here at the Legislative Assembly, but really, the conversation is that our focus= and our priority is to expand the amount of energy about renewables that we hav= e in the territory.
I think that part of the challenge that you would see is if you began to provide the sort of policy — you would probably end up undermining your overall strategy to enha= nce the renewables on your grid. It also might bring some really significant challenges. Maybe I’m going out to the end of the diving board on thi= s, but I would think you could have some really significant challenges from a financial perspective because there have been other jurisdictions that have= put IPP out and have got into a tough scenario. First of all, we have to make s= ure we have a policy that works and a mechanism that works to move through this= .
We’re going to cont= inue to work. Most of the First Nation governments and development corporations who= are big drivers on this work don’t have an interest. They want to see renewables. The Energy Corporation would love to, from my conversations with leadership there, maximize the amount of renewables, but there does come a = time where the reality of cost, taken into consideration with reliability and efficiency, leads you to have to look at some more thermal.
I think, at this point, I= would just leave it as the belief that we want to see the development of locally sourced renewable energy. That’s what we want to use to meet our grow= ing needs. Certainly that fits. We want to use a clean solution when it comes to enhancing our grid — and not just our grid, but it’s really abo= ut the communities as well. Other than that, maybe there were some other conve= rsations that the member opposite had with specific parties. I’ve reached out = to other organizations. I spoke with leadership at Casino mine today. I’= ve spoken with the new leadership at Wellgreen. I want to ensure that these projects still don’t have certain challenges. Certainly that’s = not what I’ve heard from any of these projects if that’s where this= was going.
I’m not sure and I&= #8217;m getting my information from some of the statements that were made by the Me= mber for Kluane.
Mr. Kent: Yes, certainly I have a number of other questions with respect to IPP and some more detailed questions. I guess we = do have an ideological difference with respect to liquefied natural gas and us= ing that to generate power and why it’s okay for the utilities and not for the IPP, but again, we’ll move on to other topics. As I said, we̵= 7;ll get a letter or perhaps written questions off to the minister with some of = the more specific questions about targets and the policy and see if there have = been any changes contemplated for the policy, since it was signed off prior to t= he election.
I wanted to talk a little= bit about mineral resources and again I have quite a few questions here, but in= the interest of moving through quickly, I will just ask a couple of them and su= bmit the rest in written form.
When we talked during Que= stion Period last week — it was either a question from the Member for Watson Lake or me — with respect to the free-entry system, and it might have even been during debate on EMR, but the minister mentioned that he had talk= ed to individuals who preferred a different system. I just wanted to clarify — because I did send out that e-mail with that transcript to a number= of contacts that I have in the mining industry and it certainly started an interesting e-mail discussion.
I just wanted the ministe= r to confirm whether that was the free-entry system he was talking about or was = that map staking and e-staking. He may have clarified that, but I will just give= him an opportunity to clarify it, so that I can get back to those people who ha= ve been engaged with me on e-mail for the past number of days.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: No, what I was referring to was eit= her electronic staking versus our traditional staking methods. That was the poi= nt I was making. I spent the weekend on the road, mostly in different meetings, = but certainly, I had the opportunity to sit with some very long-time prospector= s. We had the discussion this weekend as well and we talked again about the fa= ct that there has been, from time to time, interest in a more modern system wh= en it comes to staking.
When it comes to free-ent= ry staking, it has been interesting. The member opposite knows these files very well, very well — whether it be IPP or where IPP is today and how much work has been done on it and what the challenges are. Whether it is class 1 notification — the first thing I had to do was work with my officials= to deal with the legal challenge that was going on. When it comes to free-entry staking — once again, we walked into a scenario where we’re try= ing to work due to a legal mess that I have had to deal with and how that plays= out when it comes to the entry system. Then we have talked about class 1 notification in here as well. That is, again, another real challenge and on= ce again our team is making sure that we sit down and have discussions with affected parties.
I would love to talk budg= et, but if the next 20 minutes is going to be, “Let’s get all the touchy subjects that didn’t get fixed dealt with now”, and you want me= to go on the record, then let’s go through them. Let’s take them o= ne by one and we’ll have the discussion, but we’re going to go into every other issue that led us to there if that’s how we’re gett= ing into that discussion.
Mr. Kent: I’m glad EMR didn’t come up on Thursday when it was about 150 degrees in here. We’re a little hot un= der the collar. These are just policy questions. Obviously, we’re in gene= ral debate. There are some specific budget questions, but past practice —= my experience in the House and others’ — is that this is where the= re is the opportunity to ask specific policy questions.
I’ll move on to the= staking bans that are in place in Ross River and the Liard area. The Ross River one= has been in place for a number of years now. That came out of a Yukon Court of Appeal decision. I’m hoping to get an update from the minister on whe= ther or not EMR is the lead on this or if it’s being done through Executive Council Office.
I think, during my time, = it was done through Executive Council Office — on the Ross River one in particular. Obviously the Liard one has been added recently. So just some clarification from the minister on whether or not I should direct my questi= ons to the Premier on this — if it is Energy, Mines and Resources that is leading the staking ban and trying to determine what areas in Ross River and Liard will remain off-limits for staking, it would be great to get an update from the minister with respect to those two areas and the status of the sta= king bans in both of them.
Perhaps he could also pro= vide an update with respect to the White River area. I’m not sure if that was included in the recent withdrawals. I don’t believe it was, but if there’s an update, that would also be appreciated.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: The member opposite knows how the government got to where they did on the staking bans. So where are we at no= w?
To clarify and answer the question when it comes to which is the lead, the Executive Council Office is the lead negotiator with Ross River on this particular file, but the Depart= ment of Energy, Mines and Resources still feeds advisement information into Executive Council Office and there’s dialogue.
We’re in a unique situation. We have Mr. Mills’ capacity — formerly he was w= ith Aboriginal Relations, now with Energy, Mines and Resources, so he is there = to support the rest of our team at EMR.
What are we doing? We are building trust back. Really, that is what is happening. We have had some gr= eat conversations in the short term with the Ross River Dena Council. I was the= re the weekend of the Association of Yukon Communities meeting. Some of the key players working for the Ross River Dena Council focused on, at least, that particular area and have spoken with us about some of the work they’re undertaking. The member opposite would probably remember that part of the dialogue was to see if the Ross River Dena Council would identify some areas that potentially could be opened for staking.
We still have the challen= ge of dealing with the processes and the mechanics of staking, based on what we’ve seen. I know that, I think, under the leadership of the member opposite there was some other work that was undertaken from time to time wi= th the Kaska but during this staking prohibition.
Some of that, I am diggin= g into — just looking at it, seeing how the mechanics are and seeing if that type of activity stands up and how that works, because we also have had the Ross River Dena Council reach out and have a lot of interest in what’s happening in the area, and they have a formation of a corporation there that also has some interest. I think that there is some good dialogue.
I don’t believe we = will have a solution during the summer or the fall — during the season = 212; in the Ross River area, but I think the way to do it — and I think our Cabinet and our Premier feel that you have to build some really appropriate= and respectful relationships here. I understand. I was in Ross River during the last big staking rush when there were 1.5 full-time positions and 44 compan= ies active in staking, and then I think things just broke down over the last co= uple years. Certainly we’re going to try to make sure that we build a good foundation and a good relationship. We as government, when I’m wearin= g my Economic Development hat, are just as concerned essentially about a full approach here, but I think that building an appropriate, respectful relationship with the Ross River Dena Council — and also not just foc= used on the mineral development, but also how we can help the area diversify a b= it when it comes to their economy, whether it be a bit tourism, mountain bikin= g or you name it — that’s going to be key.
The Minister of Health an= d Social Services and of Environment has continued to work. We have been invited to = have meetings in the month of July with other levels of government and with the = Ross River Dena Council. I think that, like I said — I used the analogy the other day — we can either take the long, bumpy road and get to where = we need to go — because I don’t feel like taking a strategy that g= ets us stuck in the mud — or we will have to back up and then lose all th= at time — because I’m dealing with that on a series of files.
That’s what’s happening there. I don’t have the exact point but that’s how we’re dealing with the file.
When it comes to Liard Fi= rst Nation and the Kaska Dena Council, we have those dates we’re working toward, which is early 2018, I believe, on both scenarios. Part of my obligation and the obligation of our government is to ensure that we have dialogue as quickly as possible, from my perspective, with the new leadersh= ip in Liard First Nation. They have a lot; I can’t imagine. I think everybody could take that into consideration and respect the fact that they probably have a lot on their plate, so I’m hoping that we can get to a place with Liard First Nation and Kaska Dena Council so we can see that area open up.
When it comes to White Ri= ver, there has been no dialogue on a staking ban. The member opposite knows very well that there is no staking ban in that particular area. Our Executive Council Office and Aboriginal Relations department continues to work with t= he White River First Nation.
Chair: Would the members wish to take a brief recess?
All Hon. Members: Agreed.
Chair: Committee of the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.=
Recess
Chair: Committee of the Whole will now come to order.
The matter before the Com=
mittee
is general debate on Vote 53, Department of Energy, Mines and Resource=
s,
in Bill No. 201, entitled First
Appropriation Act, 2017‑18.
Mr. Kent: As I mentioned with some of the other branches, I do have a number of questions I’ll submit in written form= . We talked a little bit about the staking bans. I do just wish to inform the minister that I clearly wasn’t aware of anything going on in the White River, so I thank him for clarifying that there is no staking ban there. It wasn’t a question I was asking that I already knew the answer to, by = any stretch.
Some of the written quest= ions that I’ll be submitting to the minister with respect to mineral resou= rces — I know we have talked in Question Period about successor resource legislation and the government’s plans. I’ll just look for some clarification, as well as what Strategic Initiatives is doing on the mine licensing improvement initiative and the mineral development strategy.
I’ll also be lookin= g for some comments from the minister on compensation. I know we’ve talked = in the House in the past while about compensation for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in residential — for the placer miners affected by t= he TH subdivision in Dawson City. The minister did reference that — I believe that was also a Question Period question I asked him about. With the written question, I’ll be looking for some additional information the= re.
We’ll wait until th= e fall or the next time we’re up in debate on EMR to talk about the action p= lan that he has spoken in the media about with respect to mining within municipalities. We’ll look for an update from the minister on that. I believe he mentioned they were still waiting for some of the legal action to conclude with respect to some Whitehorse area claims, so we’ll look to see what the minister has to say about that at a future date.
I’ll again ask in a= written question to the minister about the Mactung property. The Government of the Northwest Territories assumed ownership of that during some creditor proceedings, so we would be looking to get a sense of where the Yukon government is at with respect to the Mactung property and working with the GNWT. Obviously it’s in everybody’s interest to get those claims back out into private ownership, if they aren’t, and just get a sense= of where the GNWT is at on that file.
Moving into oil and gas, = I have a number of questions with respect to this file, but maybe just for some of t= he highlights there, he mentioned there is a reduction in this budget with res= pect to the oil and gas action plan. We’ll be curious what this government’s response is with respect to the 21 recommendations of the Select Committee on the Risks and Benefits of Hydraulic Fracturing. I know = the economic report on oil and gas in the Liard Basin was done by Economic Development, I believe, so I’ll follow up with minister on that file.=
One of his officials duri= ng the briefing mentioned that the First Nation consultation with respect to the Kandik Basin will be concluding at the end of June, and that’s when t= hey expect the public consultation to be initiated — the 60-day public consultation.
We’re curious ̵= 2; obviously, there is some secrecy that surrounds the potential proponent or whoever has expressed some interest there. There are a limited number of officials within Yukon government that know who the individual would be and I’m just kind of trying to get a sense of if there has been any back = and forth between that small group of officials and this potential proponent who has expressed some interest in the Kandik Basin. The election timing was a challenge for that particular expression, so they got caught up in that a little bit. I want to make sure there is still some interest there.
At some point in the futu= re, I’m sure we’ll get into some discussion around the Peel watersh= ed and we’ll wait for the Supreme Court to render their decision with respect to the Peel watershed and what is happening there. From a mining perspective, we’re certainly interested in what the government’s plans are or if they are budgeting dollars for potential compensation for existing claim holders in the Peel watershed should any government decision= s be made that would adversely affect their interests there.
Those are some of the oth= er items that I would like to explore during this mandate and during the next time we have a chance to talk to the minister, but I do thank him for his responses= and I thank the officials for providing the support. That will conclude my rema= rks here today. I will turn the floor over to the Member for Takhini-Kopper King and, again, thank you to the minister and the officials and we’ll look forward to lots more interesting conversations over the next number of year= s.
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I thank the member opposite for the closing remarks. I appreciate that we’re going to have some opportuni= ty to have some questions submitted in written form. I knew there were lots of questions. I know that publicly the member opposite stated there were hundr= eds of questions coming, so I know that there will be a lot that we have to loo= k at in written form. Our team will reply to those, but I also think it’s important that we have an open dialogue here in the Legislative Assembly, s= o I do look forward to questions from the member opposite over the next number = of years concerning a lot of these topics. I think we should have that dialogu= e, especially when it comes to the oil and gas conversation. I would love to report on why we’re going through this, talking about maybe the consultation piece on the Kandik and some of the things that happened in the fall. I think we need to talk about the Kotaneelee. I think we need to talk once we see what the conclusion is with Northern Cross — some pieces = such as that.
I think the Third Party i= s going to talk about security, which is going to be another conversation.
I welcome a multitude of questions on the mineral development strategy, MLII — the challenges = on that — with mine licensing improvement, the MOU and other topics. I l= ook forward to the written questions, but certainly I would urge the member opposite, it would be great to have some of this dialogue here in the Legislative Assembly for the Hansard record.
Thank you, Mr. Chair= . I look forward to the questions.
Ms. White: Thank you, Mr. Chair and I thank the officials for being here. It’s always a pleasure and it’s very informative to have you in the Chamber. I thank the Member for Copperbelt S= outh for starting us off in the questions.
Just being aware of the t= ime, Mr. Chair, I am actually going to start out with the securities for oil and gas remediation. I want to thank the minister for the answers he provided during Question Period. It was definitely a refreshing change for us.
Knowing that currently we= hold $1.1 million for financial security from Northern Cross for the Eagle Plains area and understanding that the single well that we are now responsi= ble for in the Kotaneelee has an estimated cost of $2.4 million to abandon= it, can the minister just expand on what would be happening for that area in no= rth Yukon and how we can be sure that if something goes sour, we won’t be= on the hook for tens of millions of dollars?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: If the Member for Takhini-Kopper Ki= ng doesn’t mind, I’m going to go back so we have a fulsome conversation here. The cost for the Kotaneelee site that the Yukon governme= nt is responsible for abandoning — we’ve touched on this a little = bit, but it’s well L-38 — is really due to the insolvency of the licensee, EFLO. The current estimate for that well abandonment is up to $2.= 44 million. To be fair, a lot of that has to do as well — although north Yukon is also an extremely rural area, where these sites are, but there are definite= ly some logistical challenges when you take into consideration the Kotaneelee, such as barging in and the water crossings and all of those different things that you have to take into consideration. So there are a bunch of different elements that add cost — not to say that it’s not going to be q= uite expensive in north Yukon. The estimated cost to the Yukon government is abo= ut $1.8 million. The government is in possession right now — the security that’s in place is about $625,000. That’s what’s held.
We hold security essentia= lly on all of the abandoned wells. That is, of course, in accordance with the Oil and Gas Act. Security is requi= red to be filed at the time a well is licensed. Security is also reviewed regularly and is required under the Oil and G= as Act to ensure it is adequate. Under the Oil and Gas Act, this summer is really going to give us an opportunity to t= ake a look at what the costing is on that and then take into consideration what= is happening.
I can speak broadly about= the security that is in place with Northern Cross. The Yukon government holds security — Chance Oil and Gas is how it’s branded now, formerly known as Northern Cross — of about $1.1 million. The security amounts were last reviewed on this one in 2014 and determined to be adequat= e at the time. In accordance with the Oi= l and Gas Act, security for Chance oil and gas wells is currently under revie= w. After the review is complete, if necessary, the minister may require the company to file for additional security.
This is something we will probably be having a dialogue on here in the Assembly about, but we are wor= king with our officials to take a look at some of the costing on the current wor= k we have. The following factors are considered in determining the amount of security required: well location accessibility; well type, whether it be natural gas or oil; well depth and well status, whether it’s producin= g or suspended. There’s no refund if well security has been provided to Ch= ance Oil and Gas to date. A refund of security would only occur after a well has been abandoned in accordance with the requirements under the Oil and Gas Act.
I will also add that, in = the Kotaneelee, the wells have been completed and equipped for production and therefore require the removal of downhole equipment — there’s a= lot more infrastructure there — and the setting of the number of plugs in= the well to isolate the producing zones from the rest of the wellbore. A number= of Kotaneelee wells also require cement squeezes to ensure the isolation of po= rous zone and long-term protection of the groundwater that’s there. The Kotaneelee wells are deeper than the wells in Eagle Plains, and, therefore,= you need a larger service rig and equipment that can withstand higher pressure.= All of these items cost more.
So it takes longer to com= plete each step in the downhole abandonment with a deeper well, and it’s expensi= ve. The cost of the service rigging and associated equipment for Kotaneelee is $25,000 a day for that rig. It takes an entire day to pull a string of steel tubing over four kilometres long out of that well. You can see the costs are pretty spectacular on that.
The wells at Eagle Plains= have either not been completed for production, or are suspended and are essentia= lly partially abandoned. This significantly reduces the amount of work required= to complete the abandonment. That’s the reason the officials have that differential in place. That doesn’t mean we’re not in a positio= n to work with our oil and gas specialists to take into consideration where we s= tand after this first job is done.
Ms. White: I thank the minister for that. We’ve had lots of discussions in this Chamber — the Member for Copperbelt S= outh referenced Yukon Zinc, which is actually a mine site that I spent quite a b= it of time at. If people haven’t had a chance to see what that mine site looked like by the time it was abandoned, it is a large project — not= the largest, of course, but it was definitely a large project.
One of the things we talk= ed about was the importance, when that happened, of the number of small Yukon compan= ies that were owed money. I did go to the creditor meeting when that happened to see the looks of disbelief on people’s faces when they were offered pennies on the dollar up to a certain amount and, over that, there was the maximum payout amount, which was also pennies on the dollar.
When we talk about —= ; even in the gas field — if that’s enough money to take care of the cleanup if that’s the problem, we know that, in the case of Yukon Zin= c, they had been given a pass by the previous government on some of their clea= nup payments, and it’s not enough to do the work that has to be done. We = know that. That’s factual information.
When the minister mention= ed the review is ongoing for the Northern Cross project, can he give us a timeline when he expects that review to be done?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I think, for the record, the statem= ent was based on the fact that I wanted to make sure that, once we completed the Kotaneelee work, we could review. I mean, where my role stands now when it comes to the Northern Cross piece is that I’m not even in a position = to have dialogue on the topic because of the legal situation. I apologize. I d= o. I’m hoping that we can come up with a solution on this, and I know th= at the Minister of Justice and the team, EMR people — everybody is sort = of working away, and I think the officials have had correspondence, but, certa= inly in my case, I’m sort of in a firewall position.
At this time, I cannot ge= t into, per se, the status, but I think that understanding the values that you̵= 7;ve championed here — a couple pieces that you touched on include —= on the Economic Development side, I have actually worked with officials becaus= e it was a good learning experience really. That day when the Leader of the Third Party talked about some of the other tools that we have — I have work= ed a bit with my deputy minister on that.
When it comes to Northern= Cross, we’re just going to see how this plays out. Part of the challenge, as well, is that in the last set of questions — I walked into a scenario with the 15 areas of interest where, in the first conversation I had, I was= in trouble. I was in trouble because the affected First Nations were like: Wel= l, we have a north Yukon plan in place; this is the dialogue we have been havi= ng with the government; why are these areas even out for interest, because the dialogue we’re having on special management zones overlap, planning — all of these things — are already going to put it into some s= ort of legal challenge but yet we’re here.
What I’ve stated to= the northern chiefs — once we conclude our work here tomorrow, right away we’re into a tremendous amount of work this summer and are really foc= used on the fact that, working with the northern chiefs on — just having a dialogue about what vision there is for oil and gas in the north. But certa= inly there is a consultation that’s happening with them.
Also, there are a couple = pieces that I will touch on. Just for the record, we are is possession of about $1= .13 million for wild abandonment deposits as security for the abandonment of the eight wells licensed to Northern Cross, and the Oil and Gas Resources branch is conducting a review of Northern Cross’s well-abandonment deposits as = per subsection 90(3) of the act to determine that the deposit amount is adequat= e. That piece is still there and it will be done in the next three months. Probably by the time we get back here, I hope, in the Fall Sitting, we can = have that discussion.
I will leave it at that.<= /p>
Ms. White: So I am just going to affirm that I belie= ve that land use planning is incredibly important, and I look forward to having the seven other plans completed. That would be a fantastic way to move forw= ard into economic development in the territory.
The minister mentioned the abandonment of well deposits and the process that is ongoing, so we’re currently looking at the Kotaneelee. One of the questions I have is: What h= as the department learned? During the election — the Member for Copperbe= lt South mentioned the Liberal government’s position. From the NDP perspective, we were not interested in oil and gas development, period.
The Liberal government ha= s said that they were interested in oil and gas development only in the convention= al fashion, but that would still involve cleanups and remediation. So what exa= ctly is the department learning from this experience? We can look at the mistakes and the reason I made the sound I did when you talked about the learning experience — before you said what you had learned from the Third Party — is I was just thinking you meant the experience that was learned by= the business owners and the contractors, because that was horrible. Learning th= at lesson based on their experience is unfortunate, so I appreciate that is not what the minister meant.
Looking at this, what is = the department learning from this experience? How does the department plan on g= oing forward on a go-forward basis because you have the ability to figure out wh= at rules you are going to ask for in your sandbox? You can lay out your expectations and what you expect to happen, so what lessons has the minister taken away from this process of the Kotaneelee abandonment and the fact that this government has talked about oil and gas development in a conventional fashion?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: In some cases, I think that our government departments learn all the time. They certainly learned from these interactions with the oil and gas industry. Although the Kotaneelee strategy and work there was done over a fairly significant amount of time and there = has been interest and activity in north Yukon, all this is still pretty new as compared to what we have seen in the mineral sector and other sectors.
I guess one of the big le= ssons really would have to be with security. The policy of the staff — our = oil and gas specialists — is really driven by government. It has probably been quite challenging with the change because, as you stated, there is a different set of principles. There is a different set of ideals. We walked = into a scenario where I think that the Third Party and us — our group R= 12; certainly were focused on making a stand on the fracking conversation and respecting the moratorium.
I think I can talk about = what at least in this role my Cabinet colleagues and our team in government and I — what we have learned, which we certainly did know, moving into government. Then, in turn, I think the question really talks about what our staff has learned, but also where do we go.
There’s an interest= ing history when you talk about it. I think it’s fair to say, on the Kotaneelee gas royalties, there was $45 million in royalties that was = paid out and $10 million was distributed to settled First Nations under cha= pter 23 resource revenues and royalty payments. With some of the history when it comes to oil and gas development, there are some positive feelings about so= me of the revenue that was allocated. Within the department, the challenge has been that all the work that was done in this Assembly when it came to the action plan — what I have come to learn is that there was a fairly significant budget that was put toward the scope of work on the oil and gas action plan, but some of the things that were being worked on were in contravention to what we were looking at as a party and as a government.
We heard it at the door &= #8212; I have to make that statement. I heard it over and over again in the riding t= hat I represent of Porter Creek South and I’m sure the Member for Takhini-Kopper King heard it. There was a significant fear about what was g= oing to happen and the stance on fracking. People who are very supportive of resource development and mineral resource development were the same individ= uals who drew a line when it comes to fracking — the case of the Member for Takhini-Kopper King, for example, who has worked in the mining sector but, = at the same time, has specific feelings when it comes to this sort of resource development. First and foremost, we have been very clear that there’s= no interest at all in pursuing that.
Secondly, we look at the Kotaneelee. In this role, I’ve learned a lot about what’s happe= ning with the Kotaneelee — stuff I didn’t know before taking on this role. Although we have a great story of revenues over the years, the story = now is that we have a cleanup and it’s going to cost us significant money. That is underway.
Out of the recommendation= s I did, I was being sincere with the member opposite. I want to talk about oil and = gas, and I hope there are lots of questions in the fall because there’s a = lot of stuff that has happened. Part of it was that there was work done, first = by the — it was the benefits. When it came to hydraulic fracturing and s= ome of the role of it — my notes here — it talked about essentially= the risks and benefits. One of the first things I found when I walked into this role was that there’s a report. I was asked in the Legislative Assemb= ly, and it was the report as per the recommendations. It’s about how this needs to roll out. I’m like, okay, but I think the recommendation tal= ked about risks and benefits — but how did the risk part get dropped betw= een the recommendation and the report?
As we go through, we̵= 7;ll talk a little bit about that. I went back and said let’s do it right.= It was about risks and benefits, so we should add the risk part in because this one is all about benefits. We should add the risk part in because this one = is all about benefits.
There is other work that = was underway. We can talk about it, and hopefully we will talk about it in the fall. As a government, we made the commitment that we would not look for ex= ploration in the Whitehorse Trough, and certainly there was work being done on that t= opic by the previous government. If we get a chance, the Member for Lake Laberge= can maybe speak to it before the end of the day, but certainly it’s the potential of development in the Whitehorse Trough north of Laberge. Although there was a moratorium on it, certainly that work was done and that, of cou= rse, is not again something.
Where does that leave us?= I don’t want to take up any more of your question time, but I would say that reassessing the whole Yukon — and really pretty messy. Cleanup i= n Kotaneelee, legal challenge in north Yukon, 15 areas of interest that went out with absolutely no support out the door, people astounded that they even went out for interest — you’re absolutely correct. We’re working to complete the consultation when it comes to the First Nations as the affected areas. We have to do that. We’ve committed to the Whitehorse Trough. = Our feeling is that Yukoners really don’t have an interest in that. Some = of the areas that would have strong deposit — it seems to me from the conversation with Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation that there is not any interest in development at this time — and the fact that it could be conventional but it might be a frack play also leads us to challenges.
We continue to listen to = the ideas of the Yukon chambers’ energy committee. They’ve pivoted a bit — continue to work with us. I don’t stand here not ready to= listen to all concepts and ideas that’s part of the role — but certain= ly I want to try to figure out how our oil and gas branch can continue to do the good work that a lot of those members have done over the years. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge in that room, and certainly some of the unilateral decisions about the federal government over the last year on the offshore piece have also hindered the people working in that department. I’m looking to hopefully get some good conversations with the northern chiefs. We were going to meet on June 20. I think we’re now looking at early July — but certainly looking to have a dialogue with them on wh= ere they see things moving in north Yukon and hopefully continuing to sincerely come up with a resolution with Northern Cross so that we can move forward t= here as well.
Ms. White: There was a lot of information in that la= st answer. I think that when we talk about the amount of royalties from the Kotaneelee, it’s disingenuous to not talk about the span of nearly a generation of that money coming in. To say the amount of $45 million sounds fantastic if we’re talking in one or two calendar years — but if we’re talking in the long term, the number certainly does not = look quite so attractive at that point.
The last comment that the minister just made when he referenced the unilateral decision by the federal government to ban offshore drilling — where does this Liberal Yukon government stand on the idea of offshore drilling? Do they support offshore drilling off the north coast of Yukon? Where does he stand, the minister, o= n that issue?
Hon. Mr. Pillai: I think when it comes to offshore, = at this point — there was work done over the last number of years. There= was work done throughout the years, whether the NDP government or the Yukon Par= ty government or Liberal government. At this point, as we look at the strategy, for me, essentially, I wanted to be in a situation at least to have the conversation with our counterparts. There is still — as I understand = it, but maybe the officials can correct me — a grandfather clause when it comes to the offshore activity. It was really about new activity off of the north.
When I took on the job, we didn’t send a message in to our oil and gas people to say, hey, stop everything within the offshore from Yukon. This is work that has been going= on under all governments. Certainly we have some people who are key. We have, I think, one individual who has spent a large portion of his career on this topic. To say where we stand is that — I think that all governments f= or the last 20 years have been supportive of offshore development. At least th= ey have funded the position and the work has been done. I think the feeling fr= om the Premier was essentially: You want to make sure that these decisions that affect Yukoners — that Yukoners have a say in those discussions.
It was interesting, I was= able to go to an infrastructure conversation during the PDAC conference this year — Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto —= and it was really about infrastructure in the north and the other territories. = One thing that happened during that discussion was that there were a couple of federal MPs who were there. They were from Alberta and British Columbia and they were stating how upsetting it was that the offshore and this unilateral decision that was made — how horrible it was and how things like that should never happen and so we agreed. The intriguing part was that both of = them were part of the team that came here and implemented Bill S‑6. I= t is kind of funny when you think back. Certainly they didn’t have a probl= em with unilateral decisions at that point, but on this one, felt that there w= ere some challenges. Interesting how times change sometimes.
Anyway, within that, the = feeling is that I am still going to support the position. If our Cabinet feels differently, or our team feels differently on that one, but as far as I kno= w we still have a position that is being filled — it has been there for ma= ny, many years and focuses on offshore oil development and in conjunction with = the Vuntut Gwitchin and further conversations with affected areas there — just not a lot of interest at this time for the people who are in a positio= n to have licensing.
Ms. White: One of the questions we have been asking = is around the Ketza mine project.
One of the things with th= e mine licensing being re-issued, the question we have had is whether or not the assessment was done previous to that re-issue of that licence, because understanding that it was viewed as a type 2 mine site, it meant that the federal government was on the hook for that cleanup and anything that happe= ned after that would be the responsibility of the territorial government.
What we haven’t bee= n able to find out at this point in time is whether or not that assessment was completed prior to that new licence being issued. Do we know at this point = in time what responsibility will fall to the federal government and what responsibility of the new mining will fall to the territorial government?= p>
Hon. Mr. Pillai: There are a couple of pieces on the Ketza mine that we can touch on. The Government of Yukon has been responsib= le for the care, maintenance and remediation planning for the Ketza River mine site since it was abandoned in 2015. Through the care and maintenance activities, the Government of Yukon manages the mine site with a focus on health and safety.
The responsibility of the Government of Yukon is to really look at the activities — making sure that we hold the security for the activities. An example would be that we do hold security when it comes to exploration. We’re granted the right t= o do that and we hold that security, but activities that occurred under the fede= ral government become the responsibility of the federal government.
It has definitely been a challenging file. I’m going to go through it a bit. Hopefully I can a= nswer these questions. I want to make sure there’s a clear understanding.= p>
As part of the remediatio= n plan for the site, there’s a memorandum of understanding that has been developed to add detail on the provisions that really focus on the DTA, whi= ch is the devolution transfer agreement. The MOU details the relationship betw= een the Yukon government and the federal government for remediation planning and implementation, because it is a bit of a challenge. The MOU purpose is using it. Part of what has happened is that there is an independent assessor who = has been brought in. I believe that both parties have come to an understanding,= at least, that this is an appropriate way forward.
The independent assessor = is brought in to determine the approach for the remediation, and then it outli= nes how the cost will be divided between the governments, and specifically foll= ows the devolution transfer agreement remediation provisions that are in place.=
That’s one thing yo= u have seen before — there has been money on the books in security that has = not been touched — about $800,000 — but the sole focus of those dol= lars is remediating exploration activity. That work is not underway at this time. The process, as defined in the devolution transfer agreement and detailed in the MOU, provides for the following, Mr. Chair.
The independent assessor = will be procured by Yukon government and selected by YG and INAC in consultation wi= th the affected First Nations. I know we have a series of First Nations. The F= irst Nations who would be involved in this work — the Ross River Dena Coun= cil, Liard First Nation, Kaska Dena Council and the Teslin Tlingit Council are a= ll privy to these conversations that are happening on this site.
The independent assessor&= #8217;s work — and this is where we get into what plan forward is. Then, of course, at that point — I believe once we are at a point where the pl= an is agreed upon, we can get into the federal government taking on that responsibility.
They will delineate the p= re- and post-devolution liabilities and assign responsibility to each of the governments. That’s one thing that’s going to give us some clar= ity. We’ll look at those activities. INAC is responsible for the pre-devolution, as we stated, and YG is responsible for the post-devolution= .
Next they’ll develo= p a remediation plan for the site to about a 30-percent design and a class 3 co= st estimate, as per the AACE, which is the international organizational author= ity on cost estimation — and the review on care and maintenance costs and determine eligibility for the Yukon government to be reimbursed by Canada.<= /p>
To get down to the bucks = here for the member opposite, the Yukon government will be responsible for payment of the independent assessor. That’s something we have undertaken, making sure we have the funds to do that in accordance with the devolution transfer agreement. It is currently estimated to cost approximately $5 million = to $6 million for a preliminary level of design, a 30-percent design. INAC has agreed to contribute up to $750,000 toward the advancement of the desig= n, as a result of the negotiations completed over the last 18 months.
INAC will be responsible = for the costs associated with the finalization of the remediation plan, the complet= ion of an environmental assessment and permitting, and the implementation of the remediation works for those liabilities identified as pre-devolution. YG is tracking care and maintenance expenditures as a reimbursable expense from I= NAC. YG may have liabilities associated with the post-devolution advanced exploration activities, but we have the $800,000 there.
In closing, we have the $= 800,000 that may be for those activities and we have the care and maintenance that = we can bill back, but I think we’re probably looking at these amounts ov= er three years. We’re looking at a $5-million to $6-million cost on this project over the next three years.
Ms. White: I thank the minister for those comments. = Just being aware of the time, I wanted to make sure that I said my thank yous to= the Energy Solutions Centre, which I would really like to talk more about, but I’m going to run out of time.
In the last number of yea= rs, I have undertaken quite a few energy retrofit steps on my 1958 duplex, includ= ing the most recent installation of an air-source heat pump for which the Energy Solutions Centre is tracking its full usage. It will be exciting to be able= to give people real-world numbers of an entire heating system, because that is= the one heating system that they do not have that information for.
There are many other thin= gs to touch on, including funding the microgeneration projects in urban centres, similar to the rural domestic well program — so it can be funded over= long terms — mapping wind sources and geothermal sources — similar to how we map oil and gas reserves as well as minerals.
There are plenty of thing= s to talk about; I imagine we’ll be having a conversation again in the fal= l.
Mr. Chair, seeing th= e time, I move that you report progress.
Chair: It has been moved by Ms. White that the Chair report progress.
Motion agreed to
Hon. Ms. McPhee: I move that the Speaker do now resu= me the Chair.
Chair: It has been moved by Ms. McPhee that the Spea= ker do now resume the Chair.
Motion agreed to
Speaker resumes the Chair
Speaker: I will now call the House to order.
May the House have a repo= rt from the Chair of Committee of the Whole?
Chair’=
;s
report
Mr. Hutton: Mr. Speaker, Committee of the Whole= has considered Bill No. 201, entitled First Appropriation Act, 2017‑18, and directed me to report progress.= p>
Speaker: You have heard the report from the Chair of Committee of the Whole. Are you agreed?
Some Hon. Members: Agreed.
Speaker: I declare the report carried.
Hon. Ms. McPhee: I move that the House do now adjour= n.
Speaker: It has been moved by the Government House Leader that the House do now adjourn.
Motion agreed to
Speaker: This House now stands adjourned until 1:00 = p.m. tomorrow.
The House adjourned at 5:27 p.m.
The following Sessional Papers were tabled June 12, 2017:
34-2-20
Contributions to Candidates and Political Parties in the 2016 Calen= dar Year — Elections Yukon (Speaker Clarke)
34-2-21
Annual Report 2016 — Yukon Department of Education (McPhe= e)
The following legislative returns were tabled June 12, 2017:
34-2-30
Response to oral question= from Ms. Hanson re: Home-warranty programs (Streicker)
34-2-31
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Hassard re: budget for producing and stockpil= ing of aggregate (Mostyn)
34-2-32
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Hassard re: money set aside for Dawson City airport projects (Mostyn)
34-2-33
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Ms. McLeod re: aging infrastructure in Watson Lake (Mostyn)
34-2-34
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Istchenko re: highway repair and maintenance between Whitehorse and Haines Junction (Mostyn)
34-2-35
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Hassard re: decrease for Project Management Services (Mostyn)
34-2-36
Response to oral question= from Mr. Cathers re: highway safety (Mostyn)
34-2-37
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Hassard re: button activation at the crosswal= ks at Birch Street and Dogwood Street intersections on the Alaska Highway (Mostyn= )
34-2-38
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Hassard re: fuel station choice in Teslin (Mostyn)
34-2-39
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Ms. Hanson re: journeypersons within Department of Highways and Public Works (Mostyn)
34-2-40
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Istchenko re: turning lanes in the Mendenhall, Canyon and Takhini subdivisions (Mostyn)
34-2-41
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Ms. Hanson re: device used to determine snow dept= hs at the Pelly Crossing aerodrome (Mostyn)
34-2-42
Response to matter outsta= nding from discussion with Mr. Hassard re: pedestrian counts on the Campbell Highway between Watson Lake and Two and One-Half Mile Village (Mostyn)
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