Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think the intent or the idea is, of course, to prevent cases where somebody comes in at the last minute with a chronic disease and/or specifically cancer which is untreatable and it leads to tragic consequences.

In the smaller communities I could probably foresee visits just specific to this issue as opposed to doing regular medical visits. Is that something in the plan, Mr. Speaker? Thank you.

I’m pleased to see that they’re going to provide some resources in the upcoming year, in the 2010 budget year. Currently, what practices are being used with regard to screening for cancers or chronic diseases, as the Minister has indicated? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Standing Committee on Government Operations is pleased to provide its Report on the Review of the 2007-2008 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner and commends it to the House.

The Standing Committee on Government Operations met on September 28, 2009, to review the 2007-2008 Annual Report of the Languages Commissioner and the special report Speaking of Health: Official Languages as part of Quality Health Care in the Northwest Territories. The committee would like to thank the former Languages Commissioner, Ms. Shannon Gullberg, for presenting these reports. The...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Last week I was talking with a constituent who had concerns about aboriginal elders. He thought that too many elders are diagnosed with cancer too late for them to benefit from treatment. There have been, in the past, cases of an elder living a very healthy lifestyle, who came to the health clinic in a very bad state. He was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in less than two weeks. It was a terrible shock for the family and the community.

Treatments for cancer have improved a great deal over the years. If there had been some kind of screening process to...

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I guess, overall, the biggest contract here is Ruskin and it can almost be viewed like they’re an outside contractor. What I’d like to see is to ensure that there is proper follow-up, proper documentation that they use as much local content as possible. Can the Minister ensure a mechanism like that when they do their post-mortem at the completion of this project, to show how much local content that they have used on this $50 million contract? Thank you.

So the Minister is then aware of some of the complaints from the community of Wrigley, especially in the case...Like in the joint venture contract there right now offered the community of Wrigley I think it was $200 to rent a water truck for the whole day. Mr. Speaker, that just covers wages only. That’s very unfair to ask the community to provide almost free services for the water and, as well, they use that very same excuse, Mr. Speaker, because they use a lowball figure, they use that very same excuse to bring in their own water truck and not use the community of Wrigley’s. Our government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last year the community of Wrigley formed a partnership with Rowe’s Construction and Nogha Enterprises to build the abutments for the Blackwater Bridge project. There were many barriers to overcome from joint venture agreements, last minute approvals from the Sahtu regulatory bodies; however, despite the obstacles which the government did not assist with, they were overcome. The project was completed successfully and on time and on budget. There were many benefits to the community of Wrigley: employment, contracts, and they even purchased new equipment. They, in short...

Thank you very much there, Mr. Chair. I just have a few general comments, no specific questions at this time. Just picking up from my colleague Mr. Jacobson’s comment on maximizing benefits for communities through contracting services, I spoke earlier in my Member’s statement about an issue in one of my communities, the community of Wrigley. There is a big $15 million contract, seemingly little benefit flowing to the community. I believe government does have a role in it.

I believe we have to do our best to maximize opportunities, employment of those communities. We talk about it all the time...

Indeed. Like I mentioned in my Member’s statement, it was quite an achievement, the work that they’d done in the springtime, but to complete the bridge, they’ve got some new contractors, Stan Dean and I believe it’s Ruskin had joint ventured. But these are the people that the community are having difficulty with. They’re giving the opportunities to meet and sit and negotiate for their equipment, but I don’t believe that the rates they’re using are fair and they’re using that excuse to get their own equipment, employ their own people and, as a result, leaving out the community of Wrigley. They...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for Minister McLeod, Minister Michael McLeod. I just wanted to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask the Minister of Transportation with regard to some of the contracting opportunities that can be missed when they’re out in our regions and communities. These are huge opportunities. They’re big contracts. There’s the Blackwater Bridge contract near the community of Wrigley. Residents have been advising myself, and probably the Minister’s office as well, that they’re missing opportunities. Some of it can be unfair practice, I believe. I would just like...