Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of MACA. As indicated in my Member’s statement, Sport North is in an incredibly difficult situation due to the confusion and apparent inconsistencies in the application process. Specifically, some organizations are getting multi-year funding while others aren’t, and programs like Sport for Life and coaching and the CSOP were declined with no or limited resources or alternatives being provided by the SRC. Sport North had no choice but to appeal this SRC decision. They have been waiting for months and have gone through their cash...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Beaulieu.

In the spring of 2010 following a formal formation in the House, the government agreed to begin working on an Anti-Poverty Strategy. A workshop entitled No Place for Poverty was hosted by Alternatives North and the YWCA in 2010. A discussion paper was due in spring 2011, with actions to be considered by the 17th Assembly, but it is not available to the committee and it is now due in September for inclusion in transition materials. A summary of public input on the issue, “what we heard from Northerners about poverty,“ was provided to the...

In 30 days Sport North will be out of cash and unable to meet their payroll. This could be the end of Sport North. As a result of the long and confusing appeal process, the life of this important organization is on the line. This is unacceptable. Sport North has an important role in sport within the Northwest Territories and a solution must be found.

Later this afternoon I will be asking the Minister of MACA some important questions on this file.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister for that response. I mentioned the appeal process in my Member’s statement. Appeals, regardless of the organization or structure, are usually heard by independent bodies, not by a group or body that the appeal is actually being filed against. This is not consistent with the appeal process utilized by the SRC. In this appeal process the appeal is heard and ruled on by the SRC itself. Further, the SRC has indicated that appeals can only be based on errors in process, not whether the process was fair or equitable to all parties.

In the case of this...

That is good news. Six areas in the Sport North application were denied funding. Three of these areas are critical programs; specifically, the coaching programs, the Canadian Sport for Life, and the Community Support Opportunity Program. Sport North are concerned that these programs were never completely assessed through the application process and don’t feel that they were provided comprehensive information on why they were rejected or what changes were needed to help the applications meet the SRC’s application criteria. Could the Minister please direct the SRC to provide detailed...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Doug Rentmeister, the executive director of Sport North. I would also like to recognize some family members: Anne and Trevor Roberts from Courtney, B.C., as well as my mother and father, Dick and Loretta Abernethy. I’d like to thank them for all their support over the years.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Mr. Hawkins.

The committee conducted annual reviews of the business plans and the budget of the departments of Executive, Finance, and Human Resources, and received updates on the initiatives throughout the year. The following were programs and issues that the committee followed especially closely:

The committee is concerned that the numbers of indigenous Aboriginal persons in management positions has not increased over the past decade. The Department of Human Resources is currently in the process of undertaking Aboriginal employment initiatives that we...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Sport North Federation is a recognized leader in sport development in the Northwest Territories. It is dedicated to the development of sport at every level of participation throughout this territory. Today Sport North consists of 27 sports organizations, or TSOs, and regularly partners with a number of NWT sports organizations in the NWT for the benefit of youth and sports at a territorial level.

Sport North is accessible to all residents of the Northwest Territories and provides valuable support in most communities in the Northwest Territories through TSO...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow is the last day that we’ll be together in this Chamber as the 16th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. There will likely be a wide range of emotions. Some of the Members will be making their last statements and leaving the Assembly for the last time.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Premier Roland, David Krutko, and you, Speaker Delorey, all of whom have announced that they won’t be seeking another term, for all of your hard work and your dedication over the years. In your own way you have each made a difference to the people of the...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’d like to thank the Minister for bringing this bill forward. It increases the monetary limit in civil cases from $10,000 to $35,000, as the Minister said. In committee this was discussed and it was felt that increasing it from $10,000 to $35,000 would speed up the court process as many people -- I think this is correct, correct me if I’m wrong -- a lot of housing issues that are going to the courts are forced to the Supreme Court because they’re just over $10,000, and this may expedite a number of those situations and allow us to clean up some of the cases...