Henry Zoe

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just a few weeks ago, we all heard about the grizzly bear attack on two workers at Colomac Mine. This incident resulted in serious injuries to two young men. Mr. Speaker, it could have been much worse. Those men are lucky to be alive today. It is very disturbing to me, Mr. Speaker, that there have been reports of this bear in the area and still no action was taken to protect these workers. They were not even allowed to have a gun with them at that time. Mr. Speaker, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Unfortunately, it is...

Now with a brand-new addition or a brand-new facility, we’re giving them extraordinary funding for heating and fuel costs for the Inuvik Hospital. I don’t think it’s fair. It doesn’t seem to appear that it’s fair. There is no fairness there because a few years ago this is exactly what happened here in Yellowknife. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I guess I have to jump in here now. It is my understanding, Mr. Chairman, I guess the only way the Inuvik authority, in order for them to get extraordinary funding, is to put it under this category as forced growth. If I understand correctly, all these hospital authorities that we have like Stanton, Inuvik, Fort Smith and Hay River I guess aren’t they all block funded, and if they run into a deficit then they have to eat their own deficit. It appears to me that in order for Inuvik to get extraordinary funding and the government put it under this category as forced growth so...

Thank you. That’s the point I’m trying to make, Mr. Speaker, exactly what the Minister has indicated. It seems like the government, although they know we’re having increasing problems with grizzly bears, is not willing to do anything at this point in time. So my question to the Minister is would the Minister undertake to consult with all the regions pertaining to this specific grizzly bear issue to see what the best way is to resolve or manage or deal with improving the safety of the people on the land so it can be assured. Could he undertake that so he goes to the communities and talks to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today, Mr. Speaker, I spoke about the recent grizzly bear attack on one of my constituents, and the increasing problems our hunters, outfitters, and others are experiencing with grizzly bears. My question to the Minister of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development is can the Minister tell me what are the steps he and his department are taking or have taken to curb the increasing problems we are having with grizzly bears? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to conclude my statement.

Mr. Chairman, I understand how the process works, but as my other colleagues have indicated, it’s the Department of Health that deals with the formula funding for the hospital for Inuvik.

Now, surely your department must have got advice from whoever is building that new section, what the costs are going to be for O and M for a year. I’m not so sure how the formula funding pertaining to power and to heating is calculated. I don’t know if it’s square footage times so much fuel per square foot equals a figure and this is what you get for a year, or…I know normally what they do is they take the...

It will be interesting to see, because if it was, for instance, the Stanton Territorial Hospital getting into a deficit and their formula financing, even though they go to the department they would have a hard time to get extraordinary funding. A few years ago they had to shut down a whole wing just because they didn’t have the money in their budget.

Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, if the department is going to undertake my suggestion that they go to the regions and talk to people and part of that consultation as to how we can curb this increasing grizzly bear problem that we have for hunters and outfitters and other people who are going out on the land, as part of their consultation I know that the department has videos pertaining to bear safety. It is my understanding that they’re not translated into aboriginal languages. Could the Minister undertake to get these videos translated into aboriginal languages, so that when they do go talk...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my view, the response from the Minister is that it’s not something new that he’s taken to date. It’s been an ongoing thing. The department has been doing everything that he said he’s doing. My question was what steps has he or the department taken, because this problem has been on the increase for the last number of years, but nothing has been done in terms of changing the Wildlife Act or the regulations respecting grizzly bears. I know the department is working on a new proposed Wildlife Act and they’re always saying they’re going to deal with these types of issues...