Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On this the first day of sitting I, too, would like to pay my respects to the milestone of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. I have an affection and affinity for the monarchy, through my ancestry on my father’s side. My father, Robert Ostler, immigrated to Canada in 1947 after seven years in the British Army during the Second World War.

I grew up in a home with strong British ties and traditions. I remember as a child that no gifts were opened on Christmas Day until our family gathered in front of the black and white TV to hear the Christmas address from Queen Elizabeth...

This is 2012. This is the day and age of modern communications and quick communications. It is hard to believe that we as a medical system cannot come up with a better communication system from one health authority, one medical institution to another that could allow this to be done. This is this organization at its worst. This is a subject that has been brought to me on more than one occasion by many constituents. We have to come to Yellowknife. If you want to have a baby, come to Yellowknife. If you want to have surgery, come to Yellowknife. Well then, let’s find ways as a government to make...

Thank you. I’m just anxious to dive in on this topic of locums and resident physicians, but that’s not my question today. My question is to the Minister of Health and Social Services.

We have excessive and rising costs in delivering health and social services programs to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Over a number of years I have raised this concern: If I’m a resident of Hay River and I’m having surgery at Stanton Territorial Hospital on Monday morning, I must have the pre-op work done on Friday, which means that someone has to come here on Friday, get their pre-op lab work done...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to direct my questions to the government today on behalf of the Patterson Sawmill in Hay River. This sawmill has been in existence for a number of years. It is not a huge company. It is a family-based business. They employ six full-time people. They have the ups and downs with issues with the size of the allowable timber cut being reduced, operating costs and, of course, the market price for the product that they harvest.

Pattersons want to stay in business. They’re the only business of this type in the Northwest Territories. We’re in the middle of a forest here...

The time frame within which this company can go out on roads that are suitable for winter travel to get to the timber that they can harvest is very time sensitive. The clock is ticking. If they do not get in and out and harvest this product within a certain time frame, the option will be to close the sawmill. Tomorrow morning I will be receiving a briefing from a Hay River businessman that hopes to have a business opportunity developed that would make use of waste for biomass for a pellet and briquette mill in Hay River as well. This could potentially enhance the business enterprise of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I would like to share a few reflections of a Hay River elder and matriarch who passed away this week.

Bertha McBryan was very much a part of the fabric of Hay River. She was predeceased by her husband, Red, less than six months ago. I’m told that Red first laid eyes on Bertha when she was a young operator of a water taxi here in Yellowknife. Eight children and a lifetime later, the mark that she left on Hay River, the North and her family is truly amazing.

Bertha was a survivor. It had been about 25 years ago that her heart was failing and a “do not resuscitate”...

We do greatly appreciate all of those efforts that the Minister refers to in what they have been able to do. This is not an easy business and strangely, after all these years, it’s still in a lot of ways a fledgling business, but we do hope that the other prospects for the waste material will come to fruition, that this will add additional revenue potential to this company and that we can do something in the short term. They’re not asking for a handout. They’re asking for a postponement or an abatement of the stumpage fees and it is six jobs. The work that they’re involved in in cutting...

Thank you. We’re always happy to hear about financially prudent decisions. We’re also very interested in politically prudent decisions and one of those areas has got to be in looking for opportunities to distribute the wealth of this government into regions, communities outside of Yellowknife. So hopefully there would be some political consideration brought to bear along with the financial consideration.

That’s indeed welcome news. If there is a need for additional correctional spaces in the Northwest Territories as a result of this new federal legislation, will other communities other than Yellowknife be considered for expansion of a facility? For example, the South Slave Correctional Centre in Hay River. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to make special recognition of my former colleague Mr. David Krutko, who I served in this Legislature with for 16 years. I have taken up his seat in the Legislature. I have taken up his seat in committee. I will follow his proud tradition of firing the odd surprise shot over the bow.