Yellowknife Centre

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So this variable of age and condition seems to be a very powerful indicator of investment. What I see  my colleague has called up the survey  is that core housing need in Yellowknife is 17 per cent but the number of retrofits being proposed are 33 per cent. Maybe I could get a better idea of how these different elements are weighted. Do they each have an equal weight, or do they have unequal weights, whatever the weights are? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. So then I have some questions about page 71, which shows there is a major retrofit of 103 units, so that's about a third of the Yellowknife Housing Authority stock. How was that number arrived at visavis the core need for Yellowknife? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the witness for his response. I'm still not really sure how the core need numbers are worked into the plan for retrofits in places like Gameti or anywhere else for that matter. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'm looking at page 70, and I see that the community of Gameti has one unit that will be retrofitted. I know that Gameti has one of the highest core needs in housing in the NWT, so I'm wondering what the relationship is between the core need and the allocation of retrofit dollars. Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a few more questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services. So given the fact that these new services will be introduced to the intoxicated and homeless population downtown, what is the future of the day shelter? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Minister could tell us whether he is looking at contracting a nonprofit to deliver the services of the sobering centre or whether that will be done by departmental staff? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 37)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services. I know the Minister was at the launch of the Downtown Road Map report last week and that he's been a supporter of its development. It's my understanding that the investment in services for intoxicated people falls to his department. Could the Minister confirm that the 11 priorities in the report are his priorities? Thank you.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 36)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the report from the Office of the Auditor General delivered a message about the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs that's both loud and clear: the department is not delivering enough support to communities that provide essential services to their residents. MACA can't simply transfer money to communities for drinking water, waste management, fire protection, and emergency preparedness and hope for the best, especially when the health and well-being of residents is at stake.

But that's more or less what's been happening. The most shocking finding for...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 36)

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is no question among the people on this side of the House that money invested in early childhood development yields fantastic returns. We want people to have good school readiness, to graduate from high school, to attain the skills they need to realize their full potential, whatever that looks like for them. We want them to have as many opportunities as possible.

Mr. Speaker, junior kindergarten is not the only way to achieve this goal. There are other ways, and I've mentioned some of them. Aboriginal Head Start is one that has a proven track record and is...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 36)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Whereas the Department of Education, Culture and Employment confirmed plans to introduce junior kindergarten in all 49 NWT schools in the fall of 2017;

AND WHEREAS the goal of junior kindergarten is to promote the development and school readiness of four year olds with free programming;

AND WHEREAS, the importance of early childhood development is a value shared by professional and licensed programs across the territory;

AND WHEREAS, early development instrument testing reveals the greatest need for readiness exists in our smallest communities and these communities often...