Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently planes were unable to land in Inuvik for a number of reasons, notably that runway did not have enough friction for the airplanes to land properly. Our region and our communities rely heavily on the airports, especially Inuvik. The reliability of infrastructure, wherever there is a telecommunications system at our airports, the airport systems are a critical process to the economic development projects and the people’s safety. It is a critical time to provide a certain standard of living for our residents in the Beaufort-Delta and the more northerly communities...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today my Member’s statement is regarding telecommunications problems over this weekend in Nunakput and all of the Beaufort-Delta.

Around this time last year, Mr. Speaker, I stood up in this Assembly expressing concerns regarding problems with our telecommunications with services in various communities of Nunakput and this week all of the Beaufort-Delta. When long distance calls, faxes, Internet all went down, the Interac machines went down and when the stores opened they couldn’t use Interac so if you didn’t have cash, you were out of luck to purchase your groceries. We...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My colleague Ms. Bisaro has always been asking about other. So I see other for $3.7 million. Why is that still being put like that and not into the explanation? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Speaker, the phone lines were out in the community of Tuk for five days. The Minister is right that we can’t control the weather, but we had Ice Wireless cell phones working in the communities. So what can NorthwesTel do with either using Ice Wireless microwaves to work in the communities or what’s possible in regard to getting the fibre optics into the communities, all of the communities, not just into Inuvik? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will this government work closely with NorthwesTel to collectively ensure measures are in place to prevent future problems with the telecommunications systems in the Beaufort-Delta and across the North? Thank you.

Maybe next time we could move it up. It’s better to understand than other. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year I brought up the same issue, one year almost to the day in regard to the same problem we had up in the Delta. This debriefing, I’d really like to see if we could bring NorthwesTel in here either with one of the committees or into the House here to get questions in regard to what happened and what they’re going to do to make a better system for the Beaufort-Delta. Thank you.

Well, that’s good. I already got a yes for telecommunications and all the money that they’re going to give to NorthwesTel for getting fibre optics, I guess.

Mr. Speaker, will this government work in the region and the communities with NorthwesTel to identify weaknesses in the telecommunications system and develop a comprehensive backup system so that major storms can’t knock out the system and they can still operate telecommunications in the communities? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to start off with thanking the Minister in regard to getting the maintainers positions in Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok and I hope that it’s five out of the six, I hope it’s not the sixth person in one of my communities I represent that has been hired and they’re still looking for who will provide the support to the settlement maintainers.

Getting back to the PWS with the digital communications network contract, it expires in September 2011. The highlight of the importance and how we need the high speed Internet in the communities for the schools, for the nursing...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Following on my colleagues for Education Week, I’d like to talk about some of the teachers that we have in Tuk that are leaving this year.

I was nine years old when Ms. Cameron came to town; her and her husband Brent. She really influenced me to always try and progress myself in school. She taught every one of my kids, all four of them. She won’t get to teach Mikayla, but she’s only eight, so hopefully next year. Ms. Cameron will be retiring back home to Cape Breton.

Mrs. Hayslip, who has always been a rock for the community and working with the kids in Tuk, pushing them...