Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to also recognize folks who are in the gallery today who are involved in the Campaign School. I look forward to meeting with you this afternoon. I’d like to recognize two former Hay Riverites, Sarah Pope and Samantha Thomas. You have to claim some, you know, credit. Also, a constituent of mine, Diana Pellissey from Hay River South. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Next on the list for general comments I have Mr. Menicoche.

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Any response, Mr. Miltenberger?

Agreed. Thank you. I will ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses to the table.

For the record, Minister Miltenberger, would you please introduce your witnesses.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. We have Tabled Document 188-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2015-2016, before us. We have agreed to begin with general comments. I’d like to ask the Minister of Finance if he’d like to bring witnesses into the Chamber. Minister Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to tell you about a new way of raising animals. It’s called Holistic Animal Management. This approach is good for animals, good for the environment, good for employees and good for the bottom line.

The Savory Institute is an international organization that supports this innovative approach to animal management. The core of their business model is to establish 100 locally-owned, led and managed savory hubs by 2025. Their method is to demonstrate, educate, support and coordinate the adoption of holistic animal management around the globe. To accomplish this...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Under the topic of extending people, we all know about the demographic bubble of the baby boomers and the people are aging, and we just heard a statistic this week that if people actually make it to pensionable age, the now anticipated age of people who are on a pension is like 89 for men and 91 for women. Anyway, we have got to address that demographic, that growing demographic of seniors who would stay in the Northwest Territories if there was a wider variety of options for them in terms of accommodation. Not just public housing but accommodation with caregivers that...

I’m sensing that some people on this side of House would like to help you out with that, and if they could see something in writing, perhaps we could make some valuable contributions to that initiative, to that strategy.

Now, on to the topic of keeping people. Seven hundred people left the Northwest Territories last year, but because of a high birthrate, that was offset to a larger extent.

Is there any way of tracking why people are leaving the Northwest Territories? I don’t know. I know you can’t do exit interviews, but is it possible there’s any way to find out why people are leaving? I mean...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize Jackie Milne in the visitors gallery today. She is the promoter and achiever of many things in all things agricultural. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in the House the issues of the cost of living and the cost of power were raised. Twenty-five years ago I was honoured to be appointed to the first board of directors of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation. With the repatriation of what was a federal Crown corporation, the Northern Canada Power Commission, to its rightful place in the northern territories, one of the first orders of business was selecting a community for the headquarters office. Pine Point was closing down and the economic fallout from that for Hay River was going to be immense. After a...