Tom Beaulieu

One of the things we will do for this vital time of the year, I will ensure that the equipment is checked earlier, before it’s needed and to ensure that it’s working. That is one of the things that we will incorporate with that ferry or any ferry that needs a depth sounder to continue to cross the river. Thank you.

That vital piece of equipment that the Member refers to was not working properly at the time. We had that piece of equipment repaired and it started to work. We recognized that the depth was still sufficient to run the ferry, so we extended the ferry operations.

As I indicated, we feel that we try to run the ferry as long as possible so that is why there was a little confusion to try to keep the ferry open, although we indicated earlier that we thought it would be closing sooner. Thank you.

There are various reasons: supporting career development for long-term employees, supporting advancement of employees who have successfully completed formal training, advancing career development of affirmative action candidates outside the public service, addressing unique challenges with a particular job competition such as when recent recruitment practices indicate an open competition would be unproductive in resolving an undesirable work situation such as marriage between two individuals in the same departments.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that Bill 32, An Act to Amend the Pharmacy Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. The GNWT employs lots of contractors. Many contractors, even to people who do our janitorial services and so on. We have, like the Member indicates, 5,000 employees doing various types of work. We have people that do nursing, 24/7 operations such as correctional facilities. I’m not sure that one safety plan could ever encompass all of the GNWT, so I don’t think I can actually table a safety plan for the GNWT per say. Thank you.

Thank you. The departments have developed occupational health and safety committees in the various departments and headquarters and also in some of the regions in the departments that are the main contracting departments, such as Public Works and Transportation. However, I don’t have the information on how many safety officers, which are titled safety officers and are employed as safety officers, but rather people that work in the departments and scheduled as occupational health and safety officers and work with the committees. Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Twin Lakes, that Bill 29, Human Tissue Donation Act, be read for the third time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Having paid WSCC premiums is one of the mandatory things that contractors have to have. My understanding, from and discussing this with the departments that are doing a lot of contracting with industry, is that they have to have a safety plan when they bid on jobs. I’m not sure that the safety plans are filed with anyone except with the department and the departments questioning whether or not the contractor has a safety plan in place when they contract with us. Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. The Member has better intel than me. I have been advised by the department that a questionnaire submitted for October 31st has not received a score from the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission at this time. The 2013-14 claims, if there was any penalty calculated in that questionnaire, we will be advised by Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission in June 2015. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the department, through the petroleum products division, has no ability to subsidize fuel. What we do have is the ability to stabilize the cost, so we have a Stabilization Fund that we use so that there are not sharp fluctuations in the costs. We use that fund to ensure that there isn’t a sharp increase at inappropriate times and so on. This fund, the Petroleum Fund, does not give us the ability to subsidize or we would run out and we would have to change the revolving fund. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.