Michael McLeod

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the Member means when he asks when the maintenance schedule will kick in. We have a maintenance schedule that operates year round. We have a maintenance schedule that we are operating under right now. We are providing extra attention to some of the areas that are causing us some concern. However, we have our crews out there working as many hours as we can provide and we will continue to do so.

Mr. Speaker, the issue of dust control has always been the responsibility of the community government. It has been built into the community government operational funds; it’s something that’s allocated on an annual basis. The community decides their budgets. If the community decides not to spend it on dust control, that’s their decision. We have recently moved into transferring the dollars to the communities in different areas so that the communities can make their own decisions. There is more money flowing now for communities to work with on what their challenges are than there ever has...

Mr. Speaker, the study was done for the use of the communities and there is some new monies included in this year’s budget to do additional work in terms of studying what would be the appropriate dust suppression to use. However, to the actual cost of what the community may decide to move forward on, whether it’s chipsealing of the whole community or calcium, that would be the community’s responsibility, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The original tender, I believe, closed in February. Now we hear that the new RFP is going out at the end of the month. I would like to ask the Minister, what was the delay from February until now? We are looking at three or four months before they redid it and put it out. So I would like to ask the Minister what was the delay. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every year in the NWT, the government undertakes capital projects. These projects can range from construction of new schools, student residences and major renovations, to existing buildings. Mr. Speaker, I am becoming alarmed at the number of projects that go over budget, and in some cases are not awarded at all. Some of the projects, Mr. Speaker, have to be re-tendered with changes made to the design and to keep within budget.

A good example of these high costs, Mr. Speaker, would be the Deh Cho Bridge. The first figure I heard was $25 million. Then I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in April, I was pleased to launch the 2006 Get Active NWT community challenge at the Circle of Northern Leaders meeting in Norman Wells.

This campaign is a friendly challenge to NWT residents to increase their physical activity. I want to thank all Members of the Legislative Assembly for their enthusiastic participation and to recognize Mr. Miltenberger and the other Mr. McLeod for having the most steps on their pedometers.

---Applause

At the end of last year’s Get Active challenge, over 6,400 residents of the Northwest Territories participated and made a...

Mr. Speaker, the Public Utilities Board was established to serve as an expert body and an independent body to review the rate setting process in the rate setting process. It was also set up to insulate the Government of the Northwest Territories from the potential for conflict in the view of controlling the financial interests. Consumers, of course, have the right to be treated fairly. Again, Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if I have the answer the Member is asking, if I have the authority to overrule the Public Utilities Board. I would have to take that question as notice, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we will have the filter in the community as soon as we can. The filter has to come from outside of the country. It comes from the United States. We don’t have a filter system in place. It wasn’t an area we thought would be a great risk. We do have a backup system. The backup system is the old water plant and that’s what is being currently used. Nobody has really been cut off from the water supply. There is the inconvenience of the boil water advisory and it’s working well.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, during our pre-budget consultations there was a suggestion that the shelters be funded directly by Health and Social Services, because some of the money wasn’t always filtering through to the shelters. So I would like to ask the Minister if he and his department will consider an option like this? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government is always speaking to the social well-being of the residents of the Northwest Territories. In fact, Mr. Handley in his statement spoke to the fact that they’re going to have a summit on aboriginal women’s issues and, in particular, violence against women, and they said they consider it an important initiative.

That’s my topic today, why we allow the people that provide these services to continually have to wait for their funding from the regional health boards. They have enough to do, Mr. Speaker, without constantly having to worry about...