Michael McLeod

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I apologize to the Member if any complaints that have come forward have not been responded to, and I would certainly like to speak with the Member to see where those complaints are coming from and who it was addressed to. We make every effort to respond to all issues that are brought forward, be it from headquarters or the region. We will contact our staff to see if any complaints have come forward that we haven’t dealt with. As to when we will start spending money on Highway No. 7, Madam Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House that we started spending money on...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Recently I met with workers at the Inuvik Transition House, which is a women's shelter in Inuvik. I have to tell you, Madam Speaker, I was very disappointed at how this government and its agencies treat an organization like the Inuvik Transition House which provides a valuable service to the community. Every year the Transition House must fight with the Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Authority to negotiate a contract and secure funding for the next year. Every year the delays and frustrations surrounding the renewal of the contract cause stress and...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yesterday I questioned the Minister on another matter regarding the Inuvik Health and Social Services Board and it turns out that we were both under the wrong assumption. Would it be possible for the funding to flow directly from his department to the Transition House in Inuvik and not through the health board? Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I don't know how many times I have to stand up in this House and assure the Member that I do have a heart and I do care.

Madam Speaker, the sense of urgency for the Fort Good Hope flood has probably passed. There is some consideration from the Minister responsible for the Housing Corporation to see if he can go into the community this weekend, providing that his travel schedule allows it. The Member of Parliament, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, has contacted me and is in the community today; she left this morning. Our session schedule doesn't allow me to get...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will certainly commit to doing that. We do review our emergency measures policy on a regular basis. Each community has emergency measures plans, however, there is a time for updating the plans and for reviewing the plans with the community, especially in the areas where there are changes in council. We will commit to reviewing the emergency measures policy and the plans and meet with the communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the main street chipsealing program has been an initiative of this government for the past couple of years now. It was initially budgeted at $1 million. As a part of the reductions required by this government, we reduced it somewhat. This year the program will be carried out in two communities. The communities of Fort McPherson and Tuktoyaktuk I believe are the two communities that the work will be happening in.

The Sahtu has communities that are identified as a part of this schedule. We are only able to carry out the chipsealing program in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is that it hasn’t even gone out to tender yet or for an RFP, because I have had some concerns from some constituents living up there that they haven’t seen it yet. They are waiting for it. My understanding is that it is being awarded or given to the same company that is doing it now. This looks like backdoor sole sourcing. Would the Minister provide me a reason for this?

Mr. Speaker, this is an issue that has been ongoing for some time. We have been very determined to move forward on some of these issues that are being raised in terms of verification of titles and the amounts being assessed for different properties. Our staff has indicated that we have been ready to go into the community for some time. I will commit to the Member that we fully intend to go this summer. We would like to go this summer. We would like to work with the Member and set up some meetings and open up that line of communication and get all of this work done and some of these issues...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Member is asking progress over property assessment and verification of property titles. That’s something we haven’t been able to do up to now. We intend to go into the communities of Fort Providence, Fort Liard and also Fort Resolution this summer. We intended to have our people do an assessment and verification of those communities last year, however, a number of the chiefs representing those communities asked us to hold off. In Fort Providence, we’ve had a face-to-face meeting with the leadership there. They have indicated they want to have a...

Mr. Speaker, community governments in the Mackenzie Valley are facing many challenges in preparing for the proposed Mackenzie gas pipeline project.

As well as getting ready for the complex review process involved with the project, community governments also need to plan for impacts that this project and the exploration and development activity associated with the pipeline will have on their communities.

Minister Bell and I heard this message loud and clear at the Preparing for the Pipeline Community Leaders Conference sponsored by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs in Inuvik last...