David Krutko

Welcome, witnesses. Mr. Abernethy, general comments on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Environment regarding my Member’s statement on the protection of the Peel River watershed and the Peel River land use planning commission’s report, which has now gone to public review. They have had formal meetings in Fort McPherson and at that point there were some 60 people who turned out. The majority of the people there asked for 100 percent protection. Right now the commission is recommending 80 percent. I’d like to ask the Minister of Environment what is the position of the Northwest Territories government regarding the Peel...

Does committee agree that the Minister may bring in witnesses?

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. At this time I’d like to ask the standing committee who reviewed the bill if they have any comments. Mr. Menicoche.

Okay. So we’ll begin with Bill 12 after the break.

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I call Committee of the Whole to order. Items in Committee of the Whole today are: tabled documents 4, 30, 38, 62, 75, 103, Bill 4, Committee Report 3-16(5), and Minister’s Statement 65-16(5). What is the wish of committee? Mr. Abernethy.

Mr. Miltenberger, I’d like to thank you and your witnesses. Sergeant-at-Arms, please escort the witnesses out. Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister if I can get a quick turnaround on this. The family is waiting for my phone call and they are wondering what the status is they are in, because they were supposed to be out of there yesterday. Again, they’re just wondering what their situation is and I think the sooner we deal with this problem, I think it will also hopefully bring resolution to this ASAP. I’d like to request a quick response on this one. Thank you.

To the bill as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, hopefully this is not the practice right across the board in regard to the corporation, because the whole idea of the HELP program is to help people transition from social housing to eventual homeownership and the idea is that those people will, basically, at some point, be able to acquire that unit through paying a mortgage or whatnot down the road, but get them transitioned from social housing to homeownership. I’d like to ask the Minister, in light of these circumstances, could he also check and make sure that this practice is not across the board throughout the Northwest...