David Ramsay

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. Chairman. I just wanted to provide a few comments on Bill 10, the Heritage Act.

When I was first elected in 2003 it was one of the first issues I raised back eight years ago and I’m glad to finally see it move forward in a bill. I’m going to support Bill 10 moving forward. I think it is a move in the right direction, but it falls short of where, you know, when I envisioned a Heritage Act or a Heritage Fund, it would be more closely modeled on the permanent fund in the State of Alaska that pays a yearly dividend to each and every resident in the State of Alaska.

The Northwest...

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...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure held public hearings on Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles Act, during the months of May and June 2011, in Yellowknife, Deline, Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope, Fort Liard, Jean Marie River, and Fort Simpson. While the committee supports these amendments, some Members feel they could have gone further by addressing other distractions, such as hands-free devices, personal grooming, and dogs riding in vehicles. Members also raised concerns about the effect of the legislation on drivers travelling on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your Standing Committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure is pleased to provide its report on Bill 9, Wildlife Act, and commends it to this House.

Bill 9, Wildlife Act, was the product of more than 10 years of work to replace the existing legislation which dates back to 1978. The committee conducted extensive public hearings on it and had several amendments prepared to address specific concerns brought forward by Members of the public. Members are mindful of the substantial time and money invested in the development and consideration of this bill, and our...

Obviously, we’ve got three days left in this sitting of the Legislature. We are going to go into election mode during the month of September. A new government won’t come in until October. Something has to happen. I want to get a commitment today from the Minister that he can get a thorough update on exactly where this situation is at, what needs to happen so that the residents in that trailer park can have some hope for the future. When can we get a thorough report from the government on where exactly things are at? Thank you.