Louis Sebert

Yes, of course, Mr. Speaker, rates are established by the Public Utilities Board, an organization that is independent of the territorial government. The Member opposite made reference to the rates in Yellowknife. I'd like to point out and remind all Members that rates in Yellowknife were massively subsidized during two dry seasons, so it's not as though the citizens of Yellowknife have had to bear any additional cost as a result of that, and therefore, I am confident that the rates in Hay River will, assuming the arbitrator decides to allow the acquisition of the disputed assets at a...

Mr. Speaker, once the arbitrator works out the price of the assets to be acquired in Hay River we are confident that that figure will, in fact, lead to a reduction of rates in Hay River. As everyone knows, all rates are, however, subject to PUB scrutiny. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When the relevant legislation came into effect in the year 2000 it was thought some additional protection was needed for vulnerable groups and children, and that was the reason that vulnerable record checks are permitted. As I say, it must be established that the position is one of trust over children or a vulnerable group; therefore, I suggest that the number of vulnerable record checks should be very limited and limited only to those occasions where required.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's important to remember that there are two types of criminal record checks. There's the standard criminal record check and a vulnerable sector check. A criminal record check verifies whether an individual has a criminal record. That's the standard record we often see in court with convictions. A vulnerable sector check verifies whether someone has a criminal record as well as any record suspensions, which means pardons, for sexual offences and includes local police records for information relevant to the situation.

Now if a vulnerable sector check is requested, there...

It is in due course. Mr. Speaker, I am very glad that the Member opposite will be there on Monday. This may not be an item that engages the general public, so I am looking forward to informed information both from the Member opposite and for the people of Hay River. We have heard from some. We are expecting perhaps a dozen at least. As I said, we are going on quite a road show for this project. We are visiting a large number of communities. I would hope that we would have the policy completed by mid-year and shortly after were it implemented. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This will be the second public meeting we've had. We had a meeting in December in Fort Smith and people raised a wide variety of matters, including engagement with the government, access to data, so I expect that those types of issues will be brought up in Hay River. I can advise that we will be visiting many of the other communities in the next month or two, so I expect a wide variety of matters to be discussed, open government, engagement, access to information being only three.

No, Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to make that kind of commitment. I do realize this is a live issue. As I say, I did take the time of reading the excellent paper provided or prepared by the Ontario Civil Liberties Association and I understand that discussions regarding this matter are taking place in the Justice Departments of Ontario and federally. I will not put it on the next FTP. I don't know if I would have the power to do so unilaterally in any case; however, I will discuss this matter with my federal and provincial counterparts.

Yes, I understand that the Ontario Civil Liberties Association has produced a paper and I have had the opportunity of reading that paper. It may be time to look at these vulnerable record checks; however, I still think they have considerable value.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Follow-up Letter for Oral Question 497-18(2), Expanded Role for GNWT Court Sheriffs." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am sure it will look great. I don't think we went into this with any preconceptions as to what the ultimate policy would look like. We looked at policies from other jurisdictions, but we really are engaging with the public, seeking their input, which will make the policy as good as possible.