Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Weledeh constituent Dawn Moses. Dawn I don’t think is the sister of my colleague here. Dawn is actually a Jane Glassco Northern Fellow of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation in policy and leadership development, so I am very proud to have her as a constituent.
I’d also like to recognize any other Weledeh constituents I’m not aware of in the audience and also, of course, congratulate all those who are winners of the Culture and Heritage Awards.
I’d also like to recognize Denise McKee and all her work on behalf of the people with disabilities...
Thank you, Madam Chair. I think we had three separate hits before we finally got to our final number on fire suppression costs last fiscal year. I’m wondering: do we know if this is the last one or do we anticipate whether there could be more supps for fire suppression for this fiscal year. Obviously, it would be handled by the 18th Assembly. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The deputy minister has just said exactly what I said, albeit in more flowery terms. This is extremely disappointing. We have been trying to get this approved, the Child and Family Services Information System, as the Minister of Health knows, since the 16th Assembly. It was recognized that our child and family services workers are so flummoxed by this useless piece of software that they spend times driven to smoking, leaving the building and going out to smoke, because this is a useless piece of software that we have and it’s affecting the delivery of child and family...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to start by recognizing the Minister’s call for all people to be working on this, all those of us in authority, and have some responsibility for doing work on this. I think, in this particular case, I know when I, along with my colleagues Bisaro and Hawkins, in this case, attended the latest AGM of NWT council, I was a little bit shocked. I think Mr. Moses expressed disappointment that I felt in myself for not being more on top of that.
I’m glad to hear the Minister has already been working with the council and community councils in addressing many of the issues...
WHEREAS Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2010;
AND WHEREAS persons with disabilities have the right to be treated equally, with dignity and respect;
AND WHEREAS almost 15 percent of the population of the NWT lives with a disability, which translates to a conservative 6,000 people, with challenges in every community;
AND WHEREAS an additional one in nine people in the NWT are impacted by a disability as family members and caregivers;
AND WHEREAS people with disabilities are at higher risk for neglect, abuse, poverty, isolation, depression...
Just moving on, and I know, as a P3 project, the Stanton Territorial Hospital, I’m not sure if it’s a renewal project, but a new project, is a P3 and, therefore, probably involves Finance as well as Public Works and Services. So far we don’t have a good record for finishing our large infrastructure projects on budget. Most recently, of course, is the Inuvik-Tuk Highway, which is half built and already 15 percent above the promised cost. I guess one of the things that we hear about a lot and that we’ve seen with the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Line, for example, is what’s termed in the...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. A couple of questions here. First of all, I wonder if I can get an update on the Child and Family Information System. I’m sure a mass of information was provided, but for clarity this is something we’ve been trying to get done since midway through the 16th Assembly. I know we’ve tried a couple of times and failed during this Assembly, even though the money was budgeted. I would be concerned if this was a modification of the current system, which we know is not worth the paper it’s printed on. So I’m just looking for an update on what exactly is involved here with this. I...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Public Works and Services. I’d like to follow up on his statement yesterday.
Yesterday the Minister gave a statement outlining some of the things we have done to reduce energy consumption, and I was pleased to hear the progress that’s been made. However, until a long overdue energy efficiency act is in place, our performance as a territory will be hit and miss.
We know that an act is not about to happen during the life of this Assembly, but the Minister at least promised a discussion paper towards such an act, but where is the...
In focus sessions, participants concluded that food systems are at the heart of localized economies and food security; that climate change, energy costs and health are three primary drivers of renewable energy adoption; and that compared to oil and gas, renewables are investments in local jobs and businesses. Much work needs to be done to evolve government policy that recognizes and supports local economies.
In conclusion, the goal should be community empowerment that builds a strong local economic foundation and restores the commons. We need to take control of our destiny, invest in our...
Thanks to the Minister for those comments. The other gap that is out there is that there are many seniors, because of their income levels, who would never be able to get into these facilities that we are imagining.
What role does the Minister see government playing in the small Northwest Territories economy at working to provide private facilities or encouraging private facilities? Those who have the financial resources, families who have financial resources can have an option to support their elders with the care that they need, but they are unlikely to get the same support from a government...