Jane Groenewegen

To the preamble of the bill.

---Preamble approved

Thank you, Premier McLeod. At this time I would like to ask Premier McLeod if he would like to bring witnesses in.

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. Any further general comments? Are we ready for the clause-by-clause consideration?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In follow-up to my colleague’s from Hay River North statement on the necessity of this government to invest money in upkeep on our roads and our winter roads, I would just like to say that Hay River is a place where at this time of year we see a lot of visitors from the North that do come in on the winter road. It’s a very narrow window, and it is dictated a lot of times by the weather on a year-to-year basis. But it’s very nice when we see people pull into town from Fort Good Hope and Tulita and Colville Lake and the people taking advantage of that winter road.

The Hay...

Thank you, Mr. Talen. Just before I go to the next speaker for general comments, I’d like to welcome all of the visitors in the gallery today. We have a very large delegation here of elders, leaders, negotiators and citizens of Deline here with us. I understand that our government processes and the way that we do things may not be something that you’re completely familiar with, so let me just explain that we’re going to continue with general comments about the bill, 46. At the end of general comments, we will go through the clauses of the bill to be approved, and then this committee will...

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of years ago when the Dene K’onia Young Offender Facility in Hay River was closed down, a need came to light which the GNWT responded to, and a facility called the assisted living facility in Hay River was built for adults who needed to be in residential care. It was an excellent addition to the infrastructure and the economy and to the service spectrum in Hay River and in the North for adults primarily with intellectual challenges.

This facility is managed by the Hay River Health Authority, and I believe it is doing an excellent job. They have 10 permanent beds...

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. I will now turn to Members and ask if they have any general comments on the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Is committee agreed?

I would like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. The next department before us is the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to ask Minister Lafferty if he would like to present his opening comments on the department. Minister Lafferty.