Kevin O'Reilly

Merci, Monsieur le President. I would like to thank the MLA for Yellowknife North for bringing forward this motion. I strongly support it. This issue about smoking in vehicles while children are present, that is something that was raised when I was Yellowknife city council, and we finally took steps to restrict and eventually ban smoking in public places, but it was something that we couldn't address ourselves. I know this from first-hand. My parents smoked in the vehicle when I was there. They just did not know any better. Eventually we got them to quit, though, and I am thankful for that. So...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for that commitment. I think this is a good thing, and I do support the $1,000,000 that is going into the housing retrofits, and that is the kind of investment in our low carbon economy that I can support. There is supposed to be increased funding for the Arctic Energy Alliance. I have been pleading with Cabinet for the last three years to increase the funding for the Arctic Energy Alliance, so finally, we're going to get some more money in there.

I would like to know from the Minister whether any of that funding is going to be dedicated to something...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for that. I am a bit surprised that he is not a little bit more on top of this as the lead Minister for the project, especially after I gave him a heads-up about what I was going to talk about today.

In my Member's statement, I raised this April 30th letter, and I believe it casts a long and dark shadow of interference with procedural fairness and legal uncertainty over any decision on the Tlicho all-season road, the GNWT's role in future EAs, and protection of the threatened boreal caribou. What lessons, if any, have the Minister and his Cabinet...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. There is a line item here to basically, it looks like, transfer forest management leases from ENR to the Department of Infrastructure. Can I just have a little bit more explanation here? I have read the briefing material that was provided. Are these actually areas that are being harvested for forestry, or is this buildings that are being leased? I just can't figure it out, given the information that we have been provided. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

I think the Minister is a little bit confused here, because I am talking about an April 30th letter that his own regional superintendent sent to the Minister of Lands saying that, if the recommendations from the review board were accepted, they might not have a project. I see that as a way of interfering with the review board's work.

Can the Minister tell me whether he was aware of his regional superintendent's letter of April 30th and why it was sent when there is supposed to be some kind of a firewall set up?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Yes, there is a line item here to provide funding for compensation increases under the NWT Teachers' Association Collective Agreement for $694,000. Can the Minister tell me what the percentage change in the salary or compensation is for 20182019 that this is covering? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Merci, Monsieur le President.

Motion 8: To amend clause 11 of Schedule A to develop a two-tier, age-based possession framework

This motion was developed by the Member for Frame Lake. It proposed to maintain the proposed 30-gram possession limit for those aged 25 and over, but to establish a 10-gram possession limit for those aged 19 to 24. This enables the choice of consumption for all those of legal age, while also establishing a model of limited consumption for younger adults.

This motion was carried. However, the Minister did not concur, so the bill was not amended.

Motion 9: To amend Schedule...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I understand what the Minister has said. That bridge is already on us. The energy strategy contains commitments to build expansions to Taltson that are going to account for 44 per cent for our greenhouse gas reductions when we don't have any confirmed buyers, no money. I just don't think this is a good investment of money, quite frankly. I can't support this, even at $200,000.

If this money is to be used to look at replacing diesel in existing communities and building transmission lines to get Taltson power to, say, Fort Providence or Kakisa, maybe even to Yellowknife, I...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I do have some questions about Taltson Expansion. I know there is $200,000 in this supplementary appropriation package, in that $150,000 is coming from the federal government, so the rest is coming from us, and I thank the Minister and his staff for giving us a bit of a 10-year schedule of what might happen, but there is almost no information here, very little details on what this project is really all about. I understand he is prepared to provide some more information about the Great Slave Lake Crossing study, but this was something that was tried by Deger(ph) Energy. The...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I know we are getting a tour of Stanton Renewal on Friday. Is there going to be some discussion about the extended care unit and what is happening with the old hospital while we are over there as well? Thanks, Mr. Chair.