Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I spoke to the need for an early childhood learning centre in Inuvik. I say need, Mr. Speaker. It’s not a want, it’s a need. There is a difference. This is an issue that’s specific to Inuvik at this particular moment because we have a new school that’s going up, but this may be an issue that’s specific to the other communities when their turn comes for a new school or renovations. I’d like to ask the Minister of ECE if his department has had discussions with Public Works, and in this case the new Minister; and, no, Novel won’t do. I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to get back to the Member on whether or not the gaps that he has referenced are being covered and if we are consolidating our efforts to ensure that happens. We are a partner on some of the files that are moving forward in terms of resource development. At this point, I would have to make the commitment that I need to find out more about the issue in order to answer that question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of work that has been done in the area of greenhouse gasses. We have looked at a number of the other issues that are facing us in terms of air quality standards and resource development, pollution and climate change, and looked at some of the documents that have been used as our guide. We have our Greenhouse Gas Strategy that was developed some time ago and recognize that we need to have some update. That is in the works right now. We expect to have that document as part of the Energy Strategy. The greenhouse gasses will be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we stand in here all the time and we speak on the resources of the Northwest Territories, and we are a territory rich in resources. But, Mr. Speaker, I think one of our most precious resources in the Northwest Territories are the children in the Northwest Territories. That’s why, Mr. Speaker, I’ve stood in this Chamber before and I’ll stand here again and argue the point that the Children First Society in Inuvik needs to have a centre built as part of the new school.

It’s a proven fact, Mr. Speaker, that children who get a good start in their schooling and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to take the opportunity to thank all of those involved in helping making this a successful week for two Pages from Fort Providence. I wanted to say thank you to Laitha Nadli and Dori-Ann Lafoin, who are with us, who have worked as Pages since Monday.

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Today is their last day. I hope it was an enjoyable and educational experience for both of them. I hope that they will have some great stories to tell and share with their teachers at the Deh Gah School and also for their families when they get back home. I also wanted to take the opportunity to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to speak on the state of housing through the eyes of experience. Mr. Speaker, I spent 22 years working for the local housing authority. We have always had to live with decisions that were made in Yellowknife or in headquarters. A lot of times these decisions weren’t very good. We were asked to perform miracles, to do a lot more with a lot less. I have said before, my crones would have a field day up here.

The government nowadays has some money coming in. They are talking about a $100 million investment over the next three years. They are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure if I've been a Minister of ENR long enough to say I will get the committee to take the lead. The issue of water is something that I am also concerned about as are the rest of the Northwest Territories residents. We have a number of transboundary issues that we have to resolve. We are talking with Alberta to try to come up with an agreement on how to deal with water. B.C. is another jurisdiction; Saskatchewan. There are a number of areas that we have to work out agreements. I'm not comfortable enough right now, with the amount of time that I've spent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, that’s when we will have some decisions that we’ll be able to announce in a number of different areas and this is one of the acts that is under review and we will be looking at the options and recommendations come December and we will have some decisions that we will take forward and be able to share in April, hopefully. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the honourable Member from Hay River South has raised this issue on a number of occasions before and given the response of government we have undertaken a review of this whole situation and looked and talked to the different municipalities about how the concerns were in those communities and a review was undertaken. It was incorporated into a larger assessment that is being done and headed up by ECE. That process is in its final stages. We’re expecting to see some of the recommendations and options coming forward along with some of the costing associated...

The units are getting older and older and the maintenance crews are asked to do more and more, like I said, with a lot less. Is Novel the answer? I don’t know. I wonder about that. We are talking about a huge investment here. Maybe it’s time we went and asked the communities and listened to what the communities have to say.

Let’s start making some of the decisions based on what the community wants, not what the Housing Corporation and government thinks is best for the community because what is good for one community in this region may not be good for another community in that region. So I would...