Statements in Debates
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I live downtown in my constituency. That is my choice and my pleasure, and there are many advantages to doing so, but it is not always easy. I pick up beer cans and liquor bottles almost daily, I have helped clean up after someone senselessly smashed a car window, and I assisted a man injured in a fight, and that is just in the last six months.
Despite these issues, I think that life downtown is better than it was four years ago, and here is why.
The previous mayor of Yellowknife created a working group to respond to the needs of people on the street; people who may be...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I find it a bit rich that my colleagues are here now excoriating the Minister for phasing in this fee increase when that was the agreement that we came to. On a $500,000 house, the increase after three years would be $350 on the land transfer. The person buying the $500,000 house would be spending an extra $350. It is my argument that if someone can afford $500,000 dollars for a house, they can afford an additional $350 for the land transfer tax.
Further, I don't want my colleagues to lose sight of the fact that this is an omnibus bill. If it is rejected, we lose the...
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This is one of these unsung but very important, bills that would make a difference to the lives of many families in the Northwest Territories in a number of different ways, not only for families in extreme circumstances like those facing family violence, but just ordinary working families, especially given the shortage of childcare in the Northwest Territories. This could really be an important incentive to having families staying longer in the Northwest Territories, because they are able to stay at home with their children for a longer period of time, so I am pleased to...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Section 10 of Bill 41 prohibits several forms of advertising of tobacco and vapour products, including a form of in-store sales promotion found near, on, or next to a checkout counter as a mechanism to influence a consumer's buying decision, commonly known as "point-of-sale" advertising.
JUUL Labs argued that Bill 41 should be amended to be less restrictive of the promotion and display of vapour products, both in the retail and non-retail context, so that smokers are aware of their products and more likely to switch to vaping. The company offered the following for...
Thank you to the Minister for that. I understand that the Minister recently initiated a foot patrol program around the centre. Can the Minister tell us about that program and share any early results of it?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my statement today, I spoke about the ways in which life is better downtown because of the new services offered to the population of intoxicated or homeless people who are there. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, more can be done, starting with addressing the concerns of the neighbours of the sobering centre and the day shelter. During the last session, the Minister said he hoped he would have a good neighbour agreement in place by the end of June. I would appreciate an update. Mahsi.
Thank you to the Minister for his response. The YWCA has been subsidizing rental costs for this group of 14 families from its own funds, but I'm told that these funds will run out at some point this year, meaning that those without leases will become homeless. How can the Minister ensure a smooth transition to the different solutions that he has outlined?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation. I took note of his response to you about the fire at the Hay River high-rise when you were in your regular position. In particular, that he had a multi-stage plan involving all the relevant departments to assist tenants to find new accommodation. So then I thought about the situation at Rockhill which, as you know, burned down on October 1st last year. While the Y was able to rehouse some families, there are a number of them now at risk of homelessness. My question is: does the Minister have...
I appreciate the Minister's answer that he is looking for solutions, that he acknowledges the issue. That is very constructive. My concern is, though, that it is discussion, it is not action. Is there any timing he can offer about when solutions might be identified and then implemented, something that moves us further down the road toward meeting this need?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I would like to repeat my congratulations for getting the action plan done on mental health and addictions. I am curious about a couple of things that the plan is not doing. There is nothing in the plan about providing plain language material to people who are considering going south for treatment. My question to the Minister is: is the Minister planning to address this need? Thank you.