Bob Bromley

Thanks for the details there from the Minister and the duplication, apparently. Is there a target date in mind to complete this work?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As per my earlier notice, I’d like to table Wise Words, Volume 4, Issue No. 2, January 2014.

For years we’ve heard how we have to bump up our mental health services and resources in order to get that wellness court and now we’re saying no, no, it’s all up to Justice to come up with the bucks for it. It just makes sense to me that the major part needs to be mental health services. So I guess I heard 0.5, a half a person here is what the Minister is committing to this wellness court business at some point in time perhaps. I mean, this is shameful after years of discussions and the passing of motions in this House. When will this mental health and wellness court actually happen on a...

Mr. Chair, I would point out that this is not a new situation. This hasn’t just appeared or anything like that.

Moving on, the health and social services authorities administration I see has made a substantial leap this year from the last two years when it’s been almost identical. I’m wondering: is there a particular reason for that? Does that have to do with maybe the shift of shared services staff or something like that? Is there an obvious and apparent reason for that increase? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, these people are trying to turn their lives around. They have taken the first steps, but then they find themselves at a dead end.

Could the Minister confirm that the Housing Corporation has integrated its programs with the Transitional Housing programs, and that clients in transitional housing will be prioritized for appropriate public housing above the clients who are homeless who could then be put into transitional housing? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. That’s, frankly, gobbledegook that this Cabinet has the power to move around money and reallocate it. We’ve asked a number of times for the Minister of Finance to give us clarity on where that’s possible from his perspective. So, yes, I think committee members are certainly well aligned with reasonableness with this proposal. They may not agree with it, but totally in line. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to follow up on that, the hospital care and medical care for status Indians and Inuit, a couple pieces of revenue there. Is that not the Non-Insured Health Benefits revenue contribution?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by noting that, of course, this motion is in response to the crystal clear and unanimous voices of our Aboriginal partners, who between them constitute the greater part of the residents in the Northwest Territories. It’s in response to the many residents who have similarly spoken clearly through groups like Alternatives North, the unions and Ecology North and as individual citizens. It is in response to the Chamber of Mines who have nervously, though perhaps belatedly, acknowledged that the regional boards are indeed working well.

We could put forward a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks again to the Minister. It sounds more and more positive. We know that our forestry officials are highly qualified, so I assume we will be applying best practices as we develop our forest management plans.

The logical next question is Forest Stewardship Council certification is now the best known standard for sustainable forest products.

Will our wood pellets be able to take advantage of the FSC certification as we market them both here in the NWT and abroad? Mahsi.

Thanks to the Minister. That sounds like a very interesting project. I’d love to hear another announcement before the end of this session as we had yesterday with the Fort Providence people.

Some people are wondering how a pellet mill will compete with pellet mills in BC and Alberta that seem to have cheaper power, cheaper labour and practically free access to sawdust from onsite lumber mills. So, basically if we’re going to export wood pellets – and that’s basically what I’ve been hearing – what is our competitive advantage here? Mahsi.