Louis Sebert

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Perhaps Ms. Schofield could answer that, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, after a careful evaluation of the young offender facility, we had found that the numbers had been falling over the years, mainly as a result of the change in the act in approximately 2003. We’ve been looking at this for some time and have noticed a steady decline in the numbers; there didn’t seem to be any jump. Certainly we are committed to keeping the facility here in Yellowknife. The whole facility, in the sense of that facility and the adult facility are being re-profiled as far as employment within the facility, but the young offender facility will remain with dedicated staff...

Mr. Chair, I didn’t think I’d be asked about ancient times, but when I was starting out I did have my own library and built it over the years and in fact still have it because the books were incredibly expensive and it hurts to throw them out though they have become increasingly out-dated. In the last few years of my practice, I had one or two books, criminal code watts, one or two others and that was about it. The rest of the research was done online, so I don’t think that is very different from most of the lawyers, younger lawyers, coming out now. I think actually a lot of them wouldn’t even...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Friday, June 24, 2016, I will move that Bill 8, An Act to Amend the Children’s Law Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Chair, we have already started the evaluation and we are hoping to get that done in the fall, before the end of the current contract. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, I’m certainly not aware of that. I do know that the costs of the library have been exceeding the budget costs by approximately that same amount, but I’m not aware of anything to do with the registries tying into the library.

Yes, certainly we could provide that information. It’s not before us today, but I think part of the point of this, Mr. Chair, is to reintegrate inmates into society and one of the ways of doing that is to get them back into the workforce. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Perhaps, Mr. Chair, Ms. Schofield can assist with that also.

The portions of the building are being reconfigured. We do have some ideas for the space that the library is currently in. I’m not certain because we haven’t really determined where this resource centre might be located. In the building is there issues of security and so on. But we are certainly looking at possibilities. Again, the building is being reconfigured to some degree. We have ideas for the space on the first floor. Whether the resource centre will be on that floor or perhaps the second floor is yet to be determined. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I was one of those sole practitioners until six months ago and found that certainly buying hard cover books are expensive, but I did have my own fairly modest library. I would note, rather, that at one point the Government of the Northwest Territories had libraries in many of the communities which could be used by the lawyers. Hay River used to have a very extensive library, as did Inuvik. Those have all been closed down. I think that what’s happened is the nature of legal research has changed, so the vast majority of it, as I understand, is now being done online. Yes, there are certainly...