Weledeh

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to follow up a little bit and I appreciate Mr. Dolynny’s questions there. It all helps. I’d just like to first of all confirm that did I hear it’s 69.72 cents is the average per kilowatt hour for 2011-2012? I just want to get that right. Is that for across the NWT?

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Chair. This is an example of the sorts of management we could be doing to avoid these sorts of ongoing costs. I’m not satisfied with the earlier discussion, nor would I like to see this just provided in the budget on a routine basis. These costs are nothing short of ridiculous in this day and age. We insist on subsidizing energy costs and utility costs more and more, rather than dealing with them and reducing the costs. This is $2 million plus, Madam Chair, for the two items and I understand that the FMB has asked the Housing Corporation to report on how they are managing...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

I just wanted to establish those numbers to be sure. That is a flag. We did review this quite thoroughly in the 16th Assembly and we came up with the $10 million very much explicitly and on purpose. My colleagues have already raised many points. Mr. Yakeleya has raised many points and others. I think we’ll hear similar comments as we go department to department. Typically they reflect a lack of action on prevention sides and cutting to the chase on a lot of these issues or improper funding to begin with.

So sticking with general comments there, I think I’ll leave it at that. We need to do...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d just like to add my voice to my colleague’s, Ms. Bisaro. I don’t see these as legitimate if they reflect bad management of the resources that we’ve had for the year. Can I just get confirmed, Madam Chair, what was our reserve? We reviewed it and established it in the 16th Assembly. Did we establish it at $10 million, or would the Minister know if it was $15 million? Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

I don’t expect the Minister to have this information immediately at hand, but I wonder if he could provide us how many nurse practitioner positions there are in Yellowknife, in the regional centres and in other communities that are vacant at this time.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Minister’s commitment there. Another big component of the high demand for a boat launch and parking facilities is the high number of illegal occupations on federal lands, squatters that use the boat launch and so on. I’ve received an assurance from the Minister of MACA that there will be a call for aggressive federal enforcement of land law. These squats debase our tourism product as well as for the local law-obeying citizens. I’d like to ask if the Minister will work with the MACA Minister to push for federal enforcement of its law.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

I appreciate that information. I did not hear anything about the child and family services prevention programs that we had recognized are needed here. There’s a national case going forward today where one of the workers we had involved in the review, Cindy Blackstock, is sort of leading the charge to take the Government of Canada to court, I believe, on their failure to appropriately fund Aboriginal children across Canada. I want to know that we are doing funding as we should be. There were a number of things that were identified, but funding is obviously only part of it.

We have funding in...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

I look forward to that update. I guess really we want to be staying on top of our facilities such as this in a timely way and before they disintegrate to this degree, making the corrections that are necessary. What are the mechanisms that we have to regularly monitor the health of our facilities such as the Prelude Lake boat launch and so on, and for taking action to get those repaired in a timely way?

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to just mention the program to renovate Stanton Territorial Health Authority to contain and remediate the mould issue. I’m happy to see that that has gone forward. To me it really is a reflection of the state of that building, that desperate need to do some work on that building, as is the second item regarding the repairs and modifications to the sterilization steam equipment. I hope the Minister sees it as the same, as some flags.

We have postponed and postponed and postponed renovations to Stanton Territorial Hospital. We are beginning to pay the price. Well...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 5)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Negotiated contracts such as that proposed for Det’on Cho Corporation to realign Highway No. 4 play a critical role in the Northwest Territories. The Negotiated Contracts Policy is intended to lead to benefits which could not reasonably be expected through competitive processes which maximizes economic benefits for NWT residents and businesses, provides training and development opportunities, and supports the development of self-sustaining local and regional businesses. That sounds to me like a checklist of the merits of the Det’on Cho negotiated contract proposal for...