Kevin A. Menicoche

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.

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, Madam Speaker. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement on the Housing Appeal Committee. Like I said, I’m glad to see that in operation. I just wanted to ask a couple questions on the operations and its mandate. I know that the Minister had announced it in the House. When exactly was the start date for the committee? Thank you.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I just want to reiterate my colleagues from the smaller communities who are certainly supportive of policing the smaller communities. I know initiatives of getting safety officers into the community of Wrigley have been supported by this government and I look forward to continued support of maintaining those positions in Fort Simpson.

I did speak with the Minister earlier this year about a continuation of plan to have a full operating detachment in Wrigley. It’s interesting. I spoke in the House earlier about how I raised the issue of getting RCMP policing into...

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I noticed that just overall it looks like there’s an increase over last year’s mains of $2 million. But when you go down to program delivery details, you see a reduction in expenditures in the Nahendeh district. Perhaps the Minister can explain what’s going on here. Some other districts did not reduce by that much so I’d like an explanation.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I was just doing some of the budget considerations and I notice in there, with the committee’s indulgence, in an earlier page there’s a reduction in job positions in the regional allocations in the Sahtu and the Deh Cho. Could I get the Minister to explain that?

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I like Minister Beaulieu’s response. He said yes. The Minister here says no.

I am asking the Minister if they can examine it, because there is merit in it. I am not looking for new people to start questioning housing standard construction, but in the past, serious issues and arrears are serious concerns for my constituents and in all ridings. I really believe that this must be examined. I think that was one of the real reasons I really championed the appeal system, because someone has to look at this. Someone has to address them. I believe that this appeal board can do...

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.