David Ramsay

I appreciate the Minister’s response. I know he understands the urgency in this. Obviously, there’s a great deal of urgency.

The next question I’d have for the Minister of Finance -- obviously, we are going to be headed into an election -- I’m just wondering what type of information is available on, like, a government-wide variance report or an exact fiscal picture, not only for Members of this House but potential candidates in the upcoming election, to see exactly where the territory’s finances sit on the eve of this election and into the election campaign. I think it’s important that that...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Finance and it goes back to last week when the Minister provided to the House his fiscal and economic update.

One of the things that I read in there, with great interest, was continuing the current fiscal strategy allows the Government of the Northwest Territories to move away from the debt limit while still allowing for some minimal investment to support priorities identified by the 17th Legislative Assembly. I think the financial situation for the incoming government is going to be quite tight. The first question I’d...

Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Just to reiterate some of my earlier comments on Bill 10, and I appreciate my colleague Mr. Abernethy’s take on the dividend and what it means to people, but from the way I look at it, I was looking for an opportunity for the government to set aside money that would eventually end up in the pockets of our residents so that they could help offset the high cost of living, it would help attract potential employees, and it would give the residents across the territory a sense of us all being in this together. Instead of the government hiving off 5 percent as it sees fit after...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I thank the Minister for that. What I’d be looking for is the more detail the better, a complete breakdown of the territory’s finances. I know we’re about not even halfway through this fiscal year but, like I said, a variance report, where we’re at at dissolution. I think that’s important not only for Members here but potential candidates that are out there so that everybody gets an idea of what they’re getting themselves into. Thank you.

As we all know, we’re very close to that borrowing limit of $575 million. We have a number of capital projects on the horizon. We’ve just had a briefing at lunch time on the Tuk-Inuvik highway and our portion that we’ll have to come up with for that. There’s the Stanton Hospital here in Yellowknife and the upgrades for that. We can’t afford to wait much longer to get a reply or an answer from the federal government.

We’ve been talking about the borrowing limit and these negotiations now for about nine months, maybe even 12 months. I’d like to ask the Minister if they can put the pressure on the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to speak today about a new sports organization in the Northwest Territories called Golf Northwest Territories. This organization was spearheaded by a group of individuals from a number of communities across the NWT. The founding members of Golf NT are Carl Bird and Gordon Brayton from Yellowknife, Quinn Groenhyde and Mike King from Hay River, Jean Soucy from Fort Smith, and Conan Donahue from Fort Simpson.

Their idea was to create a territorial organization that would help promote the benefits of the wonderful game of golf.

The main goal of Golf NT is to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I agree with the Minister; it is a municipal concern, but what I’m saying is the Government of the Northwest Territories has to pay attention. If there is a catastrophic sewer line break or a water line break, it is going to be our problem, Mr. Speaker, in a big way. We have to be out in front of this. We have to try to be coordinating efforts between the city and the federal government to come up with a solution. Again, I think if we don’t do that and we just try to let them sort it out... We need to be doing that.

I would like to ask the Minister for a commitment to...

I appreciate the Minister’s response. I would like to ask the Minister when was the last time the department, MACA, government officials from the Government of the Northwest Territories sat down with municipal officials and the federal government to try to come up with a solution with what’s happening at Northland. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to lend my voice again today to the plight of the 1,100 residents of Northland Trailer Park located here in Yellowknife. In March I last spoke of this issue as residents were faced with intermittent water services for weeks at a time, sometimes without water for a week, because of the aging infrastructure that continues to spring leaks because it should have been replaced over 15 years ago.

Of the 1,100 residents of Northland, there are approximately 600 children, there are day homes, there are elderly persons, persons with disabilities. Mr. Speaker, they cannot...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure met in May and June to review Bill 17, An Act to Amend the Territorial Parks Act. The committee held public hearings in Yellowknife, Deline, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Fort Liard, Jean Marie River, and Fort Simpson. Members of the public and committee have expressed general support for these amendments that are intended to make territorial parks safer and more enjoyable for all visitors.

Following the clause-by-clause review on August 16, 2011, a motion was carried to report Bill 17 to the Assembly as...