David Krutko

As we all know, some communities are having difficulties with deficits or lack of core staff to ensure they have capacity to do the work to complete these reviews. I’d like to ask the Minister what other resources are there for communities that do not have the capacity in SAOs or people in the communities who can actually physically do the work. Is the government willing to put more resources into those communities so that we can try to meet the deadline of March 31st?

With that, I will give the Minister the opportunity to respond to general comments. Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Mr. Chairman, one of the other issues from the fire department is making sure that we have the equipment or have the fire department equipped to deal with such types of rescues and, more importantly, search and rescue and also river rescues. I am just wondering. Has the government looked at the possibility of looking at supplying or finding ways that the volunteer firefighters in the communities can be equipped to look more than just responding to fires but also being a response to search and rescue?

Mr. Minister, you can answer Ms. Bisaro’s question.

Mr. Speaker, I bring this motion forward at the request of the community of Fort McPherson, who has tabled in this Legislature a petition of almost 140 names and information that has been provided by way of the motion I have just presented from the Hamlet of Fort McPherson supporting this initiative.

To have 123 elders over the age of 60 shows that there is a very high percentage of elders in Fort McPherson. At the present time a lot of our elders have to leave their home communities to go into Aklavik, Inuvik, Yellowknife, and even Dawson City and Whitehorse. I think it’s about time that we as...

Mr. Minister.

Mr. Bromley.

Just again, you mentioned you had that document with a list of communities that have done the study. Is there a chance you could give that to the Clerk so we can maybe circulate it? I think we’re talking about the same thing here. So that information might be helpful to the Members. Mr. Bromley.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Next on the list I have Mr. Yakeleya.

With that we’ll take a short break and get back with MACA.

---SHORT RECESS