Michael McLeod

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to hear the Member say that. We are very open to going to Colville Lake to talk to the community, to talk about the different infrastructure needs there. There is a plan to put in a water plant for next year. However, it’s still a question of how do we get the water from the plant to the fire. We still need that mechanism. I would be glad to send our officials up there. I am hoping to have somebody in a position to attend the community meetings myself. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Chairman, it’s our position, and certainly through my encouragement, to share our information with the municipalities. We are working with them, and we have a partnership arrangement. We have a number of working groups established, so we take every opportunity to share our information, share our discussions with them. In this case, we did debrief the NWT Association of Communities. We had our staff meet with them and inform them of what went on. Yellowknife is a member of that association. We can’t control what they do with that information. It’s up to them. We make it a standard practice...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don't have that exact detail. I know over the last three years we've been there at least once if not twice to set up training programs. We cannot force the community to attend. We have been very unsuccessful in attracting people. The community has agreed that we should have it on those specific dates; however, if the interest is not there, that's not something we're in a position to deal with. It's very costly to set up these programs, it's costly to go into the communities; however, we can't do it by ourselves, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, that’s correct. We had to do some research and get some clarity on what could actually apply. Apparently anything that is considered to be offences would not be applicable in this case. The transfer of unpaid charges only applies to the services that are provided by the City. Maybe I could get our legal counsel to give further clarity on the actual definition.

Mr. Speaker, this project, along the Mackenzie Valley highway from Wrigley to Tuktoyaktuk, should be our legacy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Yes, Mr. Chairman, that’s correct. If there are certain significant arrears and the municipality is unable to collect them, there is the possibility that the properties could be seized.

Even the NWT can't get a deal like that.

The North has a lot to offer in the way of resources, and everyone is entitled to a good deal that will work for us all. A few leaders in the NWT, our Premier included, know that this project should allow us to be independent and are trying to move it forward.

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.

I guess the courts would be another avenue.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, it’s our view that this is a process of governments being responsible and also giving the municipal taxation authorities some tools in their toolkit to be able to collect outstanding arrears in the area of water and sewer and other services.

I want to apologize to the members of the committee. During our discussion, there was concern raised about what could qualify and we had to go back and do some research to really spell out the specifics. We have been able to do so, and we’ve been able to define what falls under this category. It’s only services that...

Mr. Speaker, October 9 to 15, 2005 is National Fire Prevention Week and, as such, is a fitting time to announce the recipients of this year’s Northwest Territories Fire Service Merit Awards.

In 2002, our government established the Fire Service Merit Awards to recognize the important contribution of individual firefighters and fire departments in the Northwest Territories. Firefighting is a dangerous occupation. We must not forget the sacrifices that firefighters make and the risk that they face on a daily basis.

In 2005, the department has once again received nominations to recognize the...