Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Minister Miltenberger. Are there any other questions? Ms. Bisaro.

Mr. Neudorf.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today my colleague from Hay River South mentioned the application for a rate increase that the NWT Housing Corporation has put forward to the Public Utilities Board. My question is for the Premier.

Given that the rate increase, if it does in fact occur, will actually increase the cost of living for every resident of the Northwest Territories, I’m curious whether or not bonuses have been provided to the senior managers of the NWT Housing Corporation for the 2007–08 fiscal year.

I acknowledge that bonuses are in fact important. I just don’t think everybody should get a bonus. I think bonuses should be earned for exceptional performance, or performance above and beyond, not for doing your job. That’s what you get paid for. If you look at the number of individual senior managers who are getting it, it’s clear that virtually every senior manager gets a bonus every year.

Last session I talked to the Premier, and we talked about the possibility of putting in a process where bonuses would be based on exceptional performance. Has the Premier made any progress in putting in a...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize two constituents from the riding of Great Slave: Lena Pedersen, a former Member of this House, and Todd Parsons, the president of the UNW.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

Unanimous consent granted.

Oh, I meant Power Corporation.

I am not sure I understood that exactly. Does that mean that yes, something is being done or a policy is being put in place to ensure that all senior managers who are getting bonuses will have deserved it through exceptional performance?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s going to be no surprise that I’m going to be asking my questions to the Premier, and they are going to be about senior management bonuses in the Northwest Territories. I seem to ask this question every time we come into a new session.

In light of the fact that we’re proposing all sorts of potential tax increases and we are looking for money to help run programs and services, I am wondering why we are still giving bonuses out to senior managers with no rationale. It seems like every senior manager gets a bonus.

In the last session I asked the Premier about how many of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This afternoon I would like to talk about the Yellowknife Association of Concerned Citizens for Seniors, YACCS, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, and their dedication and many contributions to Yellowknife and the NWT.

YACCS has been active for 25 years as a highly effective lobby organization on behalf of seniors in Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories. YACCS strives to be the recognized leader in the NWT for work with seniors, to provide them with high quality community living choices and advocacy for their needs. They also work to develop a...