Bob Bromley

I might add, Mr. Speaker, the most expensive power in the world is what this Power Corporation is producing, and this Minister is letting this go, passing up what other opportunities we have missed like this.

The Minister will be happy to learn that despite government failure and the best efforts of NTPC to stand and watch this exciting opportunity evaporate, Borealis GeoPower is still prepared to move forward with this project without the federal subsidy.

My question is: Is this government now prepared to move forward and capitalize on this still available and valuable opportunity? Mahsi.

It sounds good. No evidence. Will we be talking about this before the 18th Assembly, or are we leaving the budget to the 18th Assembly?

A power purchase agreement from the Power Corporation was a condition for the federal funding available. Despite a three-year window in which to provide the necessary power purchase agreement was not forthcoming from NTPC. The government has said that it provided the terms for an agreement, knowing full well that this falls short of the requirement for the PPA. This failure cost residents, businesses and government millions of dollars in the loss of local jobs. Borealis was willing to shoulder all financial risks.

Why did the government not direct this fully owned subsidiary to provide a power...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a quick follow-up to that. I see we have spent quite a bit on this last year and we’re planning to spend more. Whereabouts are we? Are we on budget with this or is the budget increasing on this project?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to acknowledge and congratulate Weledeh constituent Zhalaani Drygeese-Yelle on her recognition as Top Young Trapper in the North Slave region under the Genuine Mackenzie Fur program.

---Applause

It’s excellent to see her here in the gallery. Apologies for not recognizing Zhalaani. Perhaps her family is here too.

Zhalaani, a resident of Detah and in Grade 12, will graduate this year, but she is also learning about the traditional skills of her culture from her parents. Zhalaani’s parents believe in teaching their children both traditional and modern skills. A...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess my concerns have ramped up annually based on the track we’ve taken, focus on infrastructure and money rather than people where the real potential for gains are. As I understand it from this budget and our current conditions, just starting with our current conditions, unexpected costs, $50 million for forestry, $20 million unexpected and un-consulted expenditures for further subsidies on electricity rates, $40 million indicated in this budget for the Inuvik-Tuk highway, that’s $110 million that goes against our borrowing limit and burrows into our $100 million debt...

Thanks for that response. During the rebuild of Stanton Hospital when the hospital basically becomes a construction site, it will be difficult to maintain the level of service that patients expect and require. The changeover period will be critical, and maintenance of the systems will be very challenging.

Will the Minister reassure the people of the North that the workers who know the physical plant and systems of the hospital best, those with up to 33 years’ experience maintaining the building and its functions, will be there to ensure their safety? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my earlier statement today with questions I believe are probably most appropriately directed to the Minister of Finance on the P3 projects for the rebuild of Stanton Hospital that’s proposed, although there are certainly elements for Health, Public Works and Services, Human Resources and so on as well.

On September 30th the Union of Northern Workers received an alert that eight maintenance services workers at Stanton Territorial Hospital may be laid off next summer. At the recent Stanton Hospital AGM on October 7th, Minister of Health and Social...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. GNWT labour relations recently informed the Union of Northern Workers that Stanton Territorial Hospital’s eight maintenance services workers are likely to face layoffs, possibly as early as June 2015. While Cabinet communications recently softened and confused this announcement, the writing is on the wall.

Stanton’s food services and housekeeping employees have already been privatized. With the public-private partnership approach to the Stanton rebuild project, this government is committing itself to yet more privatization of government jobs and long-term provision of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s unfair to the long-time and loyal maintenance services employees at Stanton to have the uncertainty of the timing of their layoffs and whether they will be laid off at all hanging over their heads. Indeed, they reported a destroyed workplace atmosphere compared to conditions before the critical government pronouncements, and we heard the many equivalencies here today from the Minister.

When is the Minister prepared to provide some certainty to these employees, given that this Minister sets the schedule here, so that they can make appropriate plans based on clear...