Frame Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 83)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. The three names that I have seen here, if I can find them again, are Aurora Access Partners, NAE Transportation Partners, North Star Infrastructure. The Minister is telling me that there are Tlicho companies or joint ventures of some sort that are in these three groupings? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I get that the Minister is very knowledgeable about this and he's committed that we're going to get some long-term care beds; that's great. I'm just trying to understand better the decision to locate the facility in Hay River versus Fort Smith.

I understand that there's some kind of data that talks about a price point of 24 beds and 48. If he can provide, and it doesn't have to be here, some more detailed analysis of these price points and how we can start to build smaller facilities to meet the needs in our smaller communities, and we've heard that in this House over the...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the commitment by the Minister, and I will encourage him to get that included in the business plans. I do not know if it is ECE or through the Aurora Research Institute or some other department. We have got the line finished. Let us invest the money to make sure that we fully benefit, and that the region fully benefits from this, and I do not have to tell that to the Minister because it is his riding. Thanks, Mr. Chair. That is all I have.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'll just preface my questions with I'm trying to understand the decision to locate a new long-term care facility in Hay River. Can the Minister or staff tell me: what is the demand going to be from the South Slave for long-term care beds? I think it's probably in the NWT long-term care program review. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I guess I'm getting half of what I want. This is an important policy. We passed it in the House, as I seem to recall, so showing some accountability to the public that we actually live by this policy would be helpful in the future capital budgets, but I'm going to leave it to the Minister. Maybe we can work that out with the next one. It looks like he wants to say something so I'm happy to get his comments. Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I will just pick 2017-2018. To go from $13.1 million to $45.6 million in terms of the revised estimates, that is a pretty big jump. Are we just not planning facilities very well, or contractors are not building things on time? What is going on? Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. Earlier in my general comments on the overall capital budget, I suggested that there be a part of the capital budget where compliance with the fiscal responsibility policy is actually discussed and the calculations are provided so we understand what the envelope is for capital spending. The Minister, as I recall, committed to provide that to Regular MLAs sometime during the business plans. That's like in November. Could the Minister maybe expedite that a little bit? Presumably they've already done all this work. Is there some way we could get it sooner than the business...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Merci, Monsieur le President. I seem to be having problems here with the Minister, getting actually any answers to any of my questions today. He cannot tell me if he is going to post a study to his website. He does not want to tell me what his position is with regard to universal childcare. He cannot tell me what is happening with the action plan that his department was supposed to be developing.

Let us go back to the feasibility study. It estimated that a territory-wide program could be introduced for a cost starting at about $20 million a year. Since then, junior kindergarten has come on...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the efforts of the Minister, and as I recall, of the $300 million that was given to the three territories, our portion was rather miniscule; all we got was $30 million.

If the Minister could share a portion of the tri-territorial submission, the letter that was given, that would help convince me that we've actually got a plan or something to give to the federal Ministers to show what we need in terms of social infrastructure investment. We seem to have all of these projects and proposals off the shelf that we can give for roads, whether it's Slave Geological...

Debates of , 18th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 82)

I'd like to thank the Minister for his statement in the House about childcare. Unfortunately, he didn't answer my question about whether he would make the study available on his department's website, but maybe I'll give him a chance to answer that with my next question.

The proposed changes to the mandate were brought forward to this House by Cabinet. What is the position of the Minister on universal childcare for the Northwest Territories and when will that happen?