Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just for clarity, because I am sure this is very important to the traveling public, people that are traveling on our highways would like to know that if they have the misfortune of an accident that somebody is going to come and respond to that, and for the benefit of the volunteers in Hay River, to whom should we appeal for a new ambulance for Hay River? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, can I switch Ministers then in my....Okay. I didn't hear the answer. I'll address my supplementary question to the Minister of Health and Social Services. No, I can't; okay.

I would then like to ask Minister McLeod, Mr. Speaker, who is responsible for providing the equipment that our volunteer fire department uses to go and respond to motor vehicle accidents on the highway? They service a large area. One of the ambulances which is used regularly is 19 years old. Who is responsible? What government department is responsible for replacing that vehicle...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to recognize Theresa Handley, the Premier’s wife. He said many years, but I think it is worthy of note that it is 40 years.

---Applause

Apparently, they exchanged rings and she provided her husband with a lovely polar bear diamond ring, so I assume she has decided to keep him. Thank you.

---Laughter

---Applause

Thank you. The motion is in order; it's not debatable. All those in favour of the motion? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

---Carried

I will now rise and report progress.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to report that the Standing Committee on Governance and Economic Development has reviewed Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Revolving Funds Act, and Bill 9, Municipal Statutes Amendment Act, and wishes to report that Bill 8 and Bill 9 are ready for consideration in Committee of the Whole. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can fully understand that. Hay River is a tax-based municipality; however, they are servicing highway infrastructure which this government knows well goes all the way to Fort Smith, the border, Fort Providence, down the corridor. Who is responsible for ensuring that we have adequate vehicles and infrastructure to serve that? That is not within the municipal boundaries. Thank you.

For the information of Members, the languages in which there is simultaneous translation today are Inuvialuit and Cree. The Chair recognizes the honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Zoe.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. At this time, I would like to, on behalf of the Assembly, offer our condolences to Speaker Delorey and his family. He has travelled with his wife to Nova Scotia. His wife’s sister had passed away, so they are gone to attend a funeral. I will be sitting in as the Speaker in the proceedings here until Speaker Delorey returns.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice, the Honourable Brendan Bell. In my Member’s statement today I talked about the decision that the government proceeded with to close the remand unit at the SMCC in Hay River. This was given a lot of dialogue in the last Assembly and the last budget session and, as the Minister knows, there was a unanimous motion passed to support this. Unfortunately, it was dealt with in a way that the closure proceeded. But that being the case, Mr. Speaker, that’s kind of history now; but I still have questions outstanding...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues. The staffing of the remand unit in Hay River and the additional staff to watch them had everything to do with an internal report and a coroner's inquest into the suicidal death of an inmate in custody at SMCC. I don't believe that that report and the recommendations of the coroner were sufficiently considered when this cost-saving initiative was contrived by the former Minister.

I think it would be in the government's own interest to ensure that we have not inadvertently put ourselves in a situation where responsibility for, God forbid...