David Krutko

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation. It is in regards to several letters that I received concerning the whole area of how we assess an individual’s rent. Most of it is based on gross income. I think what we are seeing is a lot of people are being evicted from public housing and also with the amount of money that individuals are left with after they pay their rent and be able to access things such as food and clothing for their families. Mr. Speaker, this is an issue not only here in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Environment tell me exactly how many land use plans are in place and exactly how many environmental impact assessment processes were conducted in those areas where no land use plans are in place?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources is responsible for coordinating the GNWT’s participation on the environmental assessment process under the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act. But yet, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister exactly can he tell me how many preliminary screening processes have been conducted through the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act over the last three years? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the recent announcement in regards to regulatory reform in the Northwest Territories by the Minister of Indian Affairs, Chuck Strahl, on November 7th.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister appointed Neil McCrank, a person from the South again who is involved with the regulatory agency out of Alberta. But yet, Mr. Speaker, I believe it’s time that the North took its place in managing its own resources, its own regulatory system, but, more importantly, looking at what we already have and seeing exactly what’s working and what’s not.

Mr. Speaker...

Mr. Speaker, your committee has been considering Minister’s Statement 1-16(1) and would like to report progress and, Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that the report of Committee of the Whole be concurred with.

I would like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have one item to deal with, Minister’s Statement 1-16(1), Sessional Statement. What is the wish of the committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, later today I am going to be tabling a petition with 81 names on it. I think 81 names in a community are a lot of concerned individuals. I would like to ask the Minister, in regards to these individuals that have signed a petition making the government aware it is a crisis situation, how soon can he act in regards to ensuring that we do this assessment and we let the public know that we are going to act in regards to this serious issue in our community?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in regards to the issue of the rent supps that are in place, a lot of these individuals aren’t able to access the social housing subsidy that they were able to get prior to this handing over to ECE. It is becoming a problem. Before they were getting the income assessment by way of the housing subsidy, but yet today they are not. I would like to ask the Minister, is he willing to consider doing an assessment of the program in the Mackenzie Delta riding in regards to ensuring that the programs being delivered as it was supposed to through a transitional...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister look at what is the coordination between areas where land use plans have been completed, where the regulatory environmental assessment process is and where areas were called for preliminary screening in regards to those areas where land use plans are compared to those areas where it isn’t? Can the Minister look into that and give me an idea of what the recommendations in regards to the environmental assessment report is and why those recommendations have not been acted on?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my constituent, in regards to the Gwich’in settlement region in the Mackenzie Delta, has completed a land use plan that has been in place for several years. Yet, Mr. Speaker, under the environmental assessment regulatory process, land use planning is a critical component of the decision-making process. But yet, Mr. Speaker, we heard from a lot of other regions throughout the Northwest Territories…