Louis Sebert

Mr. Speaker, I don't believe the meeting will be public because we will be discussing certain confidential information that would not be appropriate to share with the public. There are, however, many of the issues around this incident that are already known. I can advise this House that the report, which was quite comprehensive, found that the escapee acted alone, he exploited a gap in the physical security of the building to access the roof of the building; the number of correctional officers on site at the point of escape was appropriate, and proper procedures were being followed at the time...

Mr. Speaker, Addendum: Dissenting Opinion of the Honourable Louis Sebert, Minister responsible for Public Engagement and Transparency, MLA for Thebacha.

The Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures was tasked by Motion 718(1), passed by unanimous consent of the House on December 18, 2015, to recommend a process, including terms-of-reference, for a midterm review and report back to the House during the Fall 2016 sitting. The standing committee has not been able to come to unanimous agreement on a report, with Minister Sebert being the sole dissenter. The Clerks have advised Minister Sebert...

These two vehicles, as is noted on page 62, one in Fort Simpson and one in Hay River, are used in the regional offices in support of land management inspection programs.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. To my right is Willard Hagen, deputy minister of Lands, and to my left Brenda Hilderman, director of Finance and Administration.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following document entitled "Annual Report of the Northwest Territories Legal Aid Commission 2015-2016." Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I don't have the report, pardon me. I think the report mainly looked at the institute itself, the walls, the roofs, and so on. Obviously, we are aware that the facility is in the middle of an urban area, so that would be an ongoing concern. I'm not sure if it was addressed specifically in the report, but I can advise this House that we are very aware of the location of this facility, of the possible dangers to the neighbourhood.

Mr. Speaker, I can advise this House that the department and myself took this matter very seriously. A critical incident report was prepared, and I also will be meeting with committee tomorrow evening, I believe. I can give a fuller answer at that time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, at one point in the distant past, there was a very complex arrangement by which virtually every community had its own rate which led to great complexity and very, very lengthy hearings in front of the Public Utilities Board because each community had to go through the costs and so on. We thought that at the time, and I was on the board and so I had some input on this, that the fairest way was to move to the current rate that we now have. So there are different amounts paid by different communities. I would like, however, the Member opposite to recall that all taxpayers massively...

It is a rather complex method by which costs are arrived at, but there's a revenue-to-cost coverage ratio, as is called RCC, and that is of course different in each zone and I do confirm that Fort Smith area does have the lowest rates. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as I'm sure Members of this House will recall, a new board of directors was put in place in the spring of this year, which in itself represented a considerable savings. If I recall, the number is approximately $1 million. The new board has been tasked with many things, but clearly they are there to examine the costs of providing power in the Northwest Territories. We are faced with certain difficulties in that the population is stable, or declining in some cases, and yet costs continue to go up. So we are working with the corporation, the board, to reduce costs. We recognize that...