Kevin A. Menicoche

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The committee would like to consider Tabled Document 3-17(3), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2012-2013. We will continue on with Health and Social Services and also consideration of the Department of the Executive, should we have time today.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. It is well known that one of the greatest factors contributing to the high cost of living in the NWT is transportation. This is true even for communities that are on the highway system. Although for most cases, having a road does help. What is a real shame is that we have not kept up all the highway investments made in the past and as a result we are not getting the benefits and lower costs of living as we should be seeing from our existing infrastructure. I am, of course, thinking of Highway No. 7.

The poor condition of Highway No. 7 is not just an operations, maintenance...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Just a chance at some opening comments on a couple of key issues for the community of Fort Simpson right now. The Minister talks about investing health care facilities. I know that Stanton requires huge investments, but also planning studies have been scheduled for the community of Fort Simpson Health Centre. It is on their list of critical infrastructure and I’d like to see it progress forward as well. I know it will be challenging to meet the fiscal constraints, but at the same time, government knows that that infrastructure has to be replaced and...

I want to thank the Minister for making the trip and I hope now that he has himself dodged the potholes and rattled over the washboard, that he too will champion our cause.

To invest in a highway is to invest in a lower cost of living for the future. I look forward to the day when I see Highway No. 7 on the government’s books. Mahsi cho.

Madam Speaker, what was the mandate of the Housing Appeal Committee? Would it include taking into consideration those really long, outstanding appeals that half the constituents that come to me about housing issues are about these long-standing issues? Can those be addressed in this appeal system? Thank you.

Mahsi cho, Madam Speaker. I begin with a little tongue-in-cheek today. I’m happy to learn that the NWT Housing Corporation has fixed the leaky faucet that has been dripping in this House for the last eight years. I guess all the comments from myself and Members during that time finally pooled into a flood that could not be denied.

Clients of the corporation now have a Housing Appeal Committee. It is fully independent of the NWT Housing Corporation, as Members and the standing committee recommended during the 16th Assembly. Two public representatives and three senior government employees have...

I wasn’t too clear of the answer. As for this year’s budget, because they had problems last year, is that why they reduced our budget this year?

As a general question, yes.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. The committee wishes to continue with deliberations of Tabled Document 3-17(3), NWT Main Estimates, with the continuation of the Housing Corporation, on to Municipal and Community Affairs, Department of Justice, as well as Health and Social Services, time permitting.

Madam Speaker, I believe that we should go down this path. I think that the old grievances should be addressed. Half of the issues of housing for my riding are about that. The way houses were constructed, people weren’t paid because the houses weren’t constructed properly, hence they have lots of outstanding arrears. It would be nice to use this mechanism to address those concerns at least and come to some terms and deliberate them and examine them. I believe there is real reasoning there by constituents that raise them. Thank you.