Jackson Lafferty

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to thank the Members for sharing their concerns and issues pertaining to this particular motion. These issues and concerns were addressed by the social program that we met with earlier last week. And we made a commitment to go back to the House and also to the committee in six months’ time to identify where the progress is at with the short-term/long-term action plan that’s been developed by the people from the community.

Mr. Speaker, just to highlight what’s been taking place pertaining to this motion, September ’07 is when it all started with identifying concerns and...

Mahsi. Mr. Speaker, our department works closely with the authorities and the school boards and has frequent contact with the superintendent of school operations. If issues arise, then there are protocols that they follow, a process, according to the policies that we have in place.

Yes, there is a system in place, with open communication and dialogue between our department and the communities. Mahsi.

Mahsi. Mr. Speaker, we can certainly take that into consideration, working with the development corporation at the community level, along with the Housing Corporation and our department. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, that is what we’re doing with the communities. We are having the Housing Corporation assist with the development corporations to build units in the communities. With us, there are no ties, as we are the third party. We are assisting the communities in pursuing the building of these units for professionals in the communities, specifically for teachers, social workers and nurses in the communities as well. That’s what we’re doing as a department — our department, working with another department — to identify a solution in a community.

Yes, our department will continue to work closely with the communities. Specifically dealing with the housing issues, we have to continue hiring teachers in the communities, and we will continue working with the communities on that issue.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I have Blair Barbour, Administrative Policy Advisor, Department of Education, Culture and Employment; and Lana Birch, Legislative Counsel, Department of Justice.

Housing is a Northwest Territories issue. It’s a real challenge to deal with housing, especially in isolated communities. But we as a department are working with the LHOs in the communities, as well as the development corporations, to identify what is suitable in the communities. If there is any housing available, then we pass on the information to potential teachers that are coming in from outside and teachers from within the Northwest Territories.

Mahsi, Mr. Chairman. I’m pleased to introduce Bill 3, An Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act. The purpose of this legislation is to substitute the definition of the term “week” that is contained in section 1 of the Employment Standards Act.

The Employment Standards Act will come into effect on April 1, 2008, and will replace the Labour Standards Act, which currently regulates employers and employees in the Northwest Territories.

Section 1 of the Employment Standards Act defines “week” as the period between midnight on the Saturday and midnight on the following Saturday. The Department of...

I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Sahtu, that Bill 6, An Act to Amend the Residential Tenancies Act, be read for the second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill includes a number of amendments to update the Residential Tenancies Act and to streamline the application and hearing process, including amendments that would:

allow a landlord to require a pet security deposit from a tenant who keeps or plans to keep a pet on a rental premises;

require landlords to conduct inspection of rental premises at the beginning and end of tenancy and provide opportunities for tenants to participate;

allow interest...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the Hon. Member for Thebacha, that Bill 4, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2008, be read for a second time.

Mr. Speaker, this bill corrects inconsistencies and errors in the statutes of the Northwest Territories. The bill deals with other matters of minor, non-controversial and uncomplicated nature in the statutes and repeals enactments and provisions that have ceased to have effect. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.