Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to ask the Minister if he sees this as a good model. We see this in other areas such as economic development where a municipality or a community will hire an economic development officer and it will be funded by the territorial government to work… There will be a contribution from the municipality and a contribution from the territorial government for a position like that. I see this position of a full-time fire chief as similar in the sense that this is work, a lot of the work that could fall within the mandate of a territorial government employee. So I see...

I would like to ask the Minister if there are any precedents in the Northwest Territories for communities that would find themselves in the same situation as Hay River where they would have a full-time fire chief on the municipal staff, if there is any specific funding earmarked to support that position in view of the tasks that person can take on that relieve pressure on the fire marshal’s office. Thank you.

It always escapes me that we, as a government, can figure out how to levelize the cost of liquor so you can buy liquor in Inuvik for the same price as you can buy it in Yellowknife, but we can’t be proactive when it comes to assisting, encouraging, and aiding people in undertaking activities that would see them more ready and affordable access to healthy and nutritious food. But that’s another whole topic, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to, I guess, just confirm again that going forward we will leave on the public record that as a government we can and will be more proactive about encouraging...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out a way to work my agricultural policy Member’s statement into a question to someone on the other side of the House. I think I’m going to direct it to the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger.

Mr. Speaker, I have listened to my colleague again today and many, many times in the past, Mr. Yakeleya, talk about the cost of living regarding food in the communities. I, first of all, have to thank the government for the initiatives they have taken. There is an employee in Hay River who works for ITI. His name is Gene...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the 16th Assembly draws to a close, I’ve had an opportunity to again review the list of goals that I had set out during my time as MLA. I’m pleased to say that many of the items and issues have a checkmark beside them. But, Mr. Speaker, there’s one item that I’m sad to say has not been achieved, and that is an NWT agricultural policy.

Our cost of living is high, partially due to the cost of transporting food to our communities, as my colleague Mr. Yakeleya has referred to today. The Territorial Farmers’ Association, with membership that runs from south to north and...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The committee wishes to proceed with Bill 7 and Bill 19 today.

Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that there is not a community in the Northwest Territories that could not benefit from community gardens and greenhouses, and some assistance and an overarching policy of this government to encourage communities to make an effort to grow some of their own food, some of their own nutritious food. I would suggest that we do not do enough about that initiative. We don’t do enough to encourage that. I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, although we are in the last days of this government, again, to look at those renewable resources that could go a...

Mr. Speaker, I’d be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to recognize a Hay River South constituent, as well, the returning officer for Hay River South, Ms. Heather Coakwell, and a long-time friend and educator in Hay River, Ms. Tessie Gonzales.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thirty-seven years ago when I arrived in Hay River we had a daily 737 jet service and we had daily Greyhound bus service. Our population has not decreased but our transportation services sure have.

Today we are only served southbound by air with Northwestern Air Lease five days a week on a 15-passenger plane. A round trip costs between $800 and $1,000. The option, of course, exists to fly to Yellowknife on Buffalo or First Air, and catch one of the four carriers that fly out of Yellowknife on their ever popular seat sales. That is also not a cheap option for people in...

Mr. Chairman, I move that we report progress.

---Carried