Kam Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

I didn’t hear an answer on whether or not other locations in Alberta or even…. I’m not sure; maybe the Minister could let us know. What other agreements do we have with health authorities in southern Canada to look after our patients? Are there other options? There are going to be huge demands on Capital Health in Edmonton. If their rooms are full, we need to be looking after our patients, and we have to ensure that this type of scenario is never allowed to play itself out again. So will the Minister answer that question?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on some questions a colleague, Mr. Hawkins, had earlier in regard to a patient who was medevacked to Edmonton and who, in fact, is a constituent of mine. I’m going to ask some questions today. I want to try to get a better understanding of what happened and why it is that the government and the Department of Health would send a patient who had a stroke to a facility if they knew there were no rooms there for that patient. The answer that Ms. Lee provided to Mr. Hawkins yesterday wasn’t clear enough for me. Could she explain why they would knowingly...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

I know we’ve helped out other jurisdictions in terms of policy development, because they’re new into the game, into the diamond business. Will the Minister provide us, whether it’s the House or the EDI committee, with the submission that the government gave to this feasibility study group? At any time was it suggested that a diamond bourse, or diamond exchange, should be located in the diamond capital of North America? That’s here in Yellowknife, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask some questions today of the Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and it gets back to my Member’s statement where I was talking about the government’s support to the diamond industry and the value added industry here in the Northwest Territories.

It seems to me that the 14th Legislative Assembly — some of my colleagues in this room were Members at that time — was very supportive of diamonds in the Northwest Territories and what they meant. But for some reason the 15th Legislative Assembly dropped the ball on diamonds. They did away with the diamond...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Again, I think the department should be looking at, you know, whether it’s two, three or four year old equipment, if it’s almost identical to what the new equipment would be at a fraction of the price, I think they should be doing that just as a matter of business. You know, you should be looking at trying to get the most for the dollars that you do have.

The other question that I have — and I ask this every year; I’ve been here for five years, and I ask the same question every year — is: where exactly is the dedicated Aurora College campus in Yellowknife? Where does...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

I thank both Ministers for that. You know, when we’re talking about training folks for jobs in the mining industry here in the Northwest Territories, I wonder if any thought was given to approaching industry to try to get them to help with the capital purchase of this equipment so our people could get trained. Did any discussion take place with industry to help offset some of these costs for these three new pieces of equipment?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

I can understand, and I appreciate my colleague Mr. Yakeleya when he talks about the $400,000 that the community of Tulita put into their school. Tulita is not alone. There are other examples across the territory. Here in Yellowknife, for example, is the Weledeh/St. Patrick’s gym. I was a city councillor when the City of Yellowknife put $1 million into that project to enhance a community asset. Is the Town of Inuvik putting any money into the new school, or have they had that discussion? I think when we’re talking fairness here, if there are enhancements at that school and there are things the...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I want to ask the Minister…. As I understand it, the bigger issue here is that Capital Health in Alberta is going to a one board approach, which is going to mean a reduction in services to NWT residents. What strategy has the Minister got to deal with situations like this that are going to arise?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

Whether it’s the department’s responsibility or the doctor’s responsibility, I think we have to do our utmost to ensure that when patients from the Northwest Territories are sent south, they actually have a room and will be looked after the way they should be. I agree with Mr. Hawkins; I don’t think 34 hours in an emergency room with a daughter and a three month old baby is appropriate.

I’d like to ask the Minister…. I know that yesterday she had mentioned that other centres like Grande Prairie or perhaps even Calgary were looked at as a possible location to send this constituent of mine. Was...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 42)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to ask the Minister: was the Government of the Northwest Territories there as observers, or were we actually there presenting our case so that a diamond bourse, an exchange, could be located here in the Northwest Territories, where we have four operating diamond mines in our territory?