Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is an issue that’s come forward as something that we need to deal with. The initial draft was done I think in 1988. It’s been some time since the act has been replaced and it requires a review. We’ve done that and there are recommendations coming forward recognizing there are discrepancies between the general taxation area and municipal taxation. So there are a number of issues that we have to deal with, and the Member has highlighted some of them here, and we’re hoping to be able to rectify the situation then and maybe look at something that if we’re...

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. Mr. Speaker, in my Member’s statement I spoke to the value of health care professionals. I fully appreciate the fact that a lot of nurses come north to work and they have some financial incentive to do so. I think if we put some of these incentives in place permanently, then they may want to just live here and work up here. I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Roland, if his department has any authority to give retention bonuses or a few more incentives for health care professionals. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to report to Members on the results of an extraordinary fundraising initiative that will make a significant difference to sport development in the Northwest Territories.

On September 9th of this year, the Sport North Federation and several key corporate sponsors including Medic North, the Royal Bank, Canadian North, Top of the World Travel, and Nunasi Corporation sponsored the Champions for Children fundraising dinner.

Ron McLean of Hockey Night in Canada fame and retired Chicago Blackhawks player Dennis Hull were two of the key speakers at...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as we well know that a lot of southern agency nurses come north to work. What I am afraid of here, and maybe it is an option, we may see a northern pool of agency nurses. Would that be an option for the department to negotiate with them as an agency pool of northern nurses? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the fact that you would have to go through the UNW, but I feel nurses are different. They could be on the same pay level as a carpenter, for example, and the work that they do, in my opinion, is a lot more important. Has the department ever been approached by health care professionals to negotiate their own contract? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I apprenticed with DPW quite a few years ago and one of the things I noticed when I was apprenticing there was the amount of employees we had there from the South that would just come up, work, and then leave. It was easy for them because there was so much incentive for them to come north and work here. As more and more northerners became trained and the incentives became less and less, because working and living at home should have been your incentive, a lot of them left.

A good case, Mr. Speaker, would be we’re going through the same thing right now, but...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs is now six months away from implementation for the New Deal for the Northwest Territories community

governments. A key priority including this government’s strategic plan, this comprehensive initiative which builds on past efforts to empower communities will provide community governments with the authority and resources to plan, design and build community public infrastructure.

With ongoing input from community governments, the Northwest Territories Association of Communities and the Local Government...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, would his department consider entering into separate contracts with each nurse that comes up here on a nurse-to-nurse basis? Is that possible? Thank you.