Jane Groenewegen

How many people will be attending on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories at the climate change conference in Copenhagen?

Sorry, Mr. Chairman. I was wondering if we could return to an item on page 15.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to know where that land is that’s been made available in the Hay River area. I’m not aware of it. But, Mr. Speaker, are there already existing programs within ITI, within the Government of the Northwest Territories, because obviously it takes a fair amount of money when you’re breaking land from raw land and the equipment and everything that’s required. Are there funds and support and interest on the part of ITI in assisting proponents who may be interested in becoming involved in this activity? Thank you.

In order to conduct agricultural activities on any scale that could go some ways towards the percentages that have been referred to, land is required and, of course, land outside of municipalities, at least in the South Slave, that would be suitable for this endeavour is land that is mostly not available for sale or for private ownership due to unsettled land claims. Does the Minister see his department having any role in identifying and perhaps brokering a deal between folks who have traditional claim to the land and those who may want to use it for a sustainable and low-impact activity such...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I have another great idea. I have been talking about renewable resources, Mr. Speaker, and I want to talk about agriculture today.

Mr. Speaker, why can’t we identify tracts of land for agriculture in the Northwest Territories? We have regressed when it come to the area of production of our own food. Mr. Speaker, not that many years ago, boats used to travel down the Mackenzie River and carry fresh fruit to the communities and that product was grown here in the Northwest Territories at many different locations, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, some of the...

Mr. Chairman, I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a regrettable day in our Assembly that we need to be talking about a matter such as this.

Mr. Speaker, the Premier’s conduct I believe has put all Members of this Assembly in a very untenable situation. We’ve had to ask ourselves do something or do nothing, and that’s a question that I have had to ask myself many times during this process. Is this something that I can say and do nothing about?

I guess I have been in this Legislative Assembly for 14 years. I have devoted quite a large chunk of my working and adult life to this institution and it does bereave greatly...

Mr. Chairman, I move that we report progress.

---Carried

As far as ITI is considered, it’s long been discussed at the ITI offices with the economic development officer and the various positions in there. It should be located in downtown Hay River anyway, not out five miles south of town on a river lot.

There are some advantages to ENR being located there, with the helicopter pad and so on, but ITI can easily be moved downtown and co-located with other ITI offices that are downtown. I know the Minister can’t answer for ITI, but has any discussion taken place with these other departments about moving? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For a long time we’ve been waiting for a new hospital in Hay River and it finally seems like maybe this is going to actually be a reality. One of the first steps is to identify a suitable location for the hospital. Where it is currently located is fraught with all kinds of problems. It’s in a fairly densely populated residential area, and there are issues with the hospital. It is old and there are issues. So I think the game plan is to go with a new hospital, but now to find a location for a new hospital.

Where the current hospital sits, there are geotechnical issues. It...