Statements in Debates
Thank you, Madam Chair. Very interesting, of course, to see this new division in the department, and maybe I could just start off by getting some clarity on how this department will work with others. I see an energy project-focused division that will lead the implementation of local renewable and alternative energy solutions in NWT communities. Obviously, we need community energy systems that would address the cost of living. That’s probably one of the biggest things along with greenhouse gas emissions. So we’re talking, to some extent, community energy systems. I have to wonder how this...
Is that work anticipated to be completed during the life of this fiscal year, so it doesn’t need to be part of next fiscal year’s project? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the end of this sitting nears, we are only six to eight months away from a territorial election and with it an opportunity for concerned citizens to take a leadership role in the governance of our people, lands and resources. We have all heard criticisms, frustrations and suggestions from residents and constituents. Now is the time for individuals to consider stepping forward to provide leadership and to put their ideas into action.
As John Todd, an alumnus of this House, was fond of saying, “If you don’t like the government policies, get elected.” Politics is not a...
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think this is where obviously there is a matter of scale here for the smaller communities. They’re not going to have the volume to be able to provide the same services and so there’s a real opportunity for government to plug in there and provide the subsidy needed. This is a cost recovery project for the government, and of course we will be enjoying some financial benefits from it, so it’s a good opportunity for us to make sure that the very best services can be provided and make even the smallest communities competitive and give them an advantage for participation in...
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just had one question here. I know there’s so much expertise in this division, and I know the Minister is aware that we’re putting a Mackenzie Valley fibre optic line that’s meant to enhance the access to the Internet and opportunities for education and health and so on services. I wonder if I can get the perspective of this department.
First of all, has the department looked at that project? Are they providing advice on that project?
Thank you, Mr. Chair. It’s always hard to penetrate the smoke and mirrors, as I’ve said before, but I appreciate that. I’m glad to hear it’s staying within early childhood.
I’d like to follow up on my colleague’s mention of the healthy food for children and youth and just ask the Minister if he’s been aware of this excess of tens of thousands of goose eggs in the Beau-Del and the potential availability of them for consumption by residents, and the geese for that matter. A wildlife management problem where there are excess birds and eggs that we could be taking advantage of. Is he aware of this...
I’ll leave it at that, Madam Chair. I know there are many efforts around the world now for zero consumption, zero net consumption buildings and I know this department is interested in making progress in that direction. So, I’ll look forward to further gains there. I’ll leave it at that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had a couple of questions on this page. I see the Early Childhood Worker Grant Program is increased over last year, and I’m happy to see that. How has the uptake been on that so far this year and what sort of increase does this mean for workers? I know that early childhood workers’ salaries are typically much lower than the value that we put on them, so I support this program. I’m just wondering about the update and how that’s working.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know asset management is obviously a huge program for the government. This division has been doing a lot of work on the utilities and so on. Where are we at on the utility side for asset maintenance, or is that in another division? The intent of moving it all into this department was to be able to see where the opportunities for savings were and act on those. I’m just wondering where we are on that.
Also, there is a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions element to that, which is in this division. If I could just get general comments on where we’re at with respect to our...
Thanks to the Minister. Obviously, we know the policy and it’s not working. I’m asking the Minister to do some outreach and make sure that the grandparents know what options are available to them. Just saying that this is available to them does not do the job. Some grandparents who are fostering grandchildren informally have incomes that disqualify them from receiving support either financially or for housing issues that arise as a result of the unplanned expansion of their families, consideration needs to be given to revising voluntary agreements so struggling grandparents more easily qualify...