Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman the Member raises a number of good points about why it would be good to try to keep a facility in the community as long as possible.
In this day and age, the cost of replacing facilities is very expensive. Part of the problems we run into though, is the age of the facility and the code that buildings were built to back when, in this particular case, the building was built in 1957. The code requirements at that time were much different that they are in today’s environment. In fact, there has been a technical status evaluation done on that facility and...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the affirmative action statistics information is provided to committee members through the process we go through. We do provide supplemental information. As we’ve seen, our main estimates documents have grown because we’ve added additional information in there and I guess the feeling at that time was, as we’re going forward, we do supply the information on affirmative action statistics to Members and felt it wasn’t necessary in the document itself. But we’ll take it under advisement if Members would like to see that changed again. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe that request was made in 2003-04 and granted in that year.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The vision adopted by the Assembly last May begins with the word self-reliant. The vision that leads off the Northern Strategy framework uses this phrase in its first sentence. Self-reliance means that we look to ourselves first to tackle our challenges and to improve our lives and our communities. If the NWT is truly to achieve our vision of self-reliance for individuals, families, communities and as a territory, we need the right tools and we need the resources.
There is much work to be done. With adequate financial resources, our job will be made easier and our...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, based on the recommendations we received and the code upgrades that have been required, we’d have to do a cost-benefit analysis. That’s why the direction has been, at this point, to look at relocating, and that’s what the meeting is going to be about; to see what needs to be done to make sure that the department can continue to operate in the community and in the region.
With respect to the facility ongoing, again, we haven’t identified the cost of doing a total upgrade on that to see if it is a usable space. The government’s initial move, looking at the...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that facility is one that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment uses to deliver its programs in that community and region. What was done and undertaken was a review through the fire marshal’s office and, on that recommendation, we’ve moved in this area. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we can’t commit to continue using the facility unless we get the okay from the fire marshal’s office. So with the fire marshal’s recommendation, the facility can’t be used beyond 2006. That’s why we’ve undertaken this next step, working with Education, Culture and Employment, and we can look at the reports to see what options might be out there. But with the preliminary work that has been done, this avenue was chosen because it’s the most cost-effective way to move. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the initial work was done as far back as about 2002, when the fire marshal was looking at that facility. There is a meeting coming up on Monday, between Public Works and Services and Education, Culture and Employment, to review what the necessary steps will have to be. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there are not any problems with our legislation. We can institute a tax credit on interest payments on mortgages. The proviso is how much will it cost us in our own-source revenue. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we do have already within the toolbox, as the Member has mentioned, with the arrangements that have been worked out through the Housing Corporation, incentives that do help people get into their own homes and build homes in the Northwest Territories. The big one around that is EDAP, or Expanded Downpayment Assistance Program. That’s one avenue. From a government end, from the incentive to either…I heard a Member earlier in their Member’s statement talking about a tax relief of some sort or another. That’s something we haven’t looked at directly. Our goals...