Kam Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

I will find out for the Member. We also have the 1-800 number, as well, that people can call. It’s important to us that safety is the number one concern here for the travelling public. I will get that information for the Member. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, we would look at deploying those signs where we need to, but in the advance of technology we’re also keeping our website up to date for the travelling public. Oftentimes now that’s the first place people look to for information. That is on our website and it’s updated, especially with the situation taking place in the Deh Cho and affecting those communities and our roads and our ferry system, it’s important that we’re updating that continuously. That’s one place the Member could possibly look. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Mr. Speaker, again, as we move forward, I think whether or not we need a food strategy per se or to be part of a larger piece like the Economic Development Strategy or many of the other support mechanisms that the department has for locally produced food and agriculture in the NWT, it certainly is something worth some consideration, though. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

That is a good point, and I believe we need to work collectively. I need to work with my colleague from Municipal and Community Affairs. It could, in fact, be a big part of the Economic Development Strategy that we’re going to continue to pursue here in the Northwest Territories, so that we can find ways to grow the agricultural industry here in the Northwest Territories. I agree wholeheartedly with the Member on the importance of getting that sector more pronounced here in our territory, and I’ll do what I can as Minister to make sure that that happens. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 13)

Yes, we will do that. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 12)

It’s taken the Member about six years to start asking questions about the project. I can try to get that information to the Member by early next week.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 12)

I believe that was the same question I asked the previous government, whether or not I could get a copy of that contract. I believe at the time the answer was no and it would remain no.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 12)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the contract that exists with Ruskin, again, it is not a fixed price contract. When there are change orders, some of those change orders are the responsibility of the owner, in this case the Government of the Northwest Territories, and we would certainly work with the contractor on a schedule and on costs, and we’ve been doing that all along.

Again, in March of this year it became apparent that the contractor would not be able to complete the project by November. So we had to look at different strategies to allow us to get that accomplished, and the option that we...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 12)

Thank you. I believe some of that work has been done in conjunction with the Territorial Farmer’s Association, a group that I’ve had the opportunity to meet with, and I’d be more than happy to try to get that information for the Member and put that together for him.

We also have this Community Gardens Program and I mentioned this earlier in this session in relation to a question that I was asked I believe by one of the other Regular Members. When I was down in Fort Simpson recently, we ran into two young university students who are working for ITI delivering the Community Garden Program, and...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 3rd Session (day 12)

Mr. Speaker, I have been quite clear in answering other questions from other Members yesterday. I will say it again. Going forward, this money has helped us negotiate our way out of a myriad of claims, construction claims on the project. We are going to work together with the contractor to see the project get completed this fall. I am not sure if the Member would prefer that we throw our hands up, we fight with the contractor, we go to court for years and years to come, we spend untold hundreds of thousands if not a million dollars-plus on legal fees and we don’t have a bridge open this fall...