Jackie Jacobson

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In February 2018, a former Member, Wally Schumann, Minister of Infrastructure at the time, gave a statement of planned improvements, he said, in airport runways across the territory. There are many studies that have been done across the NWT for subsurface and drainage problems that we have in our small communities. Mr. Speaker, Sachs Harbour has a problem. We cannot land King Air 350s for medevac service. The only planes that can come in are Twin Otters now, with tundra tires, because of the saturation in the airport runway. I worry for my constituents. The Minister...

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, I think it's time that we do start telling them in regards to how to get treatment, because they're not doing it. It's too much overhead, the costs. The start-up cost is the biggest thing. Like I said, we have two camps up there, three camps, potentially, that closed down due to everything being sent down to Alberta. I am thankful that our territorial government has a good working relationship with Alberta. I am happy for that, that people are being served on a timely basis, but I think it's time that we start taking a look at ourselves within to try to start taking...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Just on work on behalf of others. Bringing up what my colleague from Monfwi brought up in regard to the healing centres, I know Fort McPherson had Tl'oondih. Inuvik and the Gwich'in, there are two places that we could send people to get help, get healing, and I guess working with that. I've seen so many people, same as him, fall through the cracks in regard to sending them out for treatment. When they come back home, there is nowhere to go. It's a vicious cycle, but it's a cycle of peer pressure and that they make by choice. I think those should be really looked at in...

I thank you, again, Madam Minister, for that. I just want to make sure that if and when the work is scheduled to take place this summer or as soon as possible for the drainage of both sides of the runway, to make sure that we get that done this summer for a priority, in putting Sachs Harbour as a priority on the Minister's table, to get it done this summer.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My Member's statement today was for the Minister of Infrastructure regarding safety of my constituents in Sachs Harbour and the runway and making sure that they are getting service for their food and mail. Mr. Speaker, the maintenance plan work for Sachs Harbour was in 2018, and then this February, it was announced again. Is this additional work? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Minister if he is prepared to stop using limiters across our territory and to discontinue use. It's really belittling to people. I know it's a tough situation. People in the communities are really affected by this, and it's pretty tough to cook for families; like I said, planning for the winter already. COVID-19 is still here. Pandemic is still here. Why are we charging them? Why is the ministry able to push aside the bills, the power bills for the communities, and then, come September sitting, I'll be making a motion in the House to get rid of all the power bills and charge it to...

Mr. Speaker, like I said, we are in extraordinary times. The GNWT cannot expect to continue running NTPC as a government business enterprise. In fact, the auditor general has determined that it's not an arm's-length operation. That is something else this government should be addressing. For now, however, Mr. Speaker, our small communities need assurance that they will not be facing long, cold winters indoors with no power, with these limiters on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister. Thanks.

Just in regard to the limiters and to the bills for the communities, is it possible to get it under COVID-19? I'm going to ask that for my Finance Minister, if we could write that off? I have a few other things I would like to bring forward to write off, too, for the people. It's the only right thing to do. The Minister is responsible for the bureaucrats that are these board of directors. He could instruct them. They work for him. Tell them. Work together in regard to making it better for the people and the costing of our power corporation. Again, from August to April, we can't have those for...

Mr. Speaker, my Member's statement today was in regard to the Minister responsible for the NWTPC. Since we are still in this pandemic of COVID-19, is the Minister prepared to instruct the board for making exemptions to late payments to the power bill and to ensure disconnections and late fees, once this pandemic is done, making sure that the date from, say, August to the end of April, our coldest months of the year, making sure people are not put on power limiters, and getting rid of the power limiter? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to rise in regard to the NWT Power Corporation's response to the pandemic. My riding of Nunakput, Sachs Harbour, Paulatuk, Ulukhaktok, and Tuktoyaktuk, are the most coastal communities in our territory and have little or no industry, no economy. Our people in Nunakput were struggling to make ends meet before this pandemic hit, Mr. Speaker.

Now, things are going even harder. We are still in the early days, and we are still in the pandemic. We are emerging from our lockdown of this pandemic. We are faced with a potential second wave of COVID-19 this fall...