Michael Miltenberger

Mr. Speaker, as the Premier noted earlier, conservation and efficiency are critical elements in addressing the broad range of energy issues facing the Northwest Territories today. Conservation and efficiency provide an immediate response to the high cost of energy and, as a government, now form a part of our business-as-usual approach.

In addition, and perhaps more importantly, energy conservation and efficiency help us to address one of the most serious environmental problems facing us today: climate change. Mr. Speaker, experts predict that unless efforts are made to reduce greenhouse gas...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we are going through the required budgetary and business planning steps. When that process is completed, that information will be available. This is a yearly process and clearly we want to be up and running well before the coming winter. Even though it’s only June, we are planning for the coming cold season. So we are working on this. We have been working on it for a number of months and the paperwork is already in the process. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I don’t consider myself cold hearted. My understanding is that we did provide funding and we are, as far as I know, still considering that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In point of fact, I believe the amount of money that was provided was $100,000 last year and if the Member will check unedited Hansard, I will say it again, the social envelope Ministers have worked together. We have put together a Homelessness Strategy. We are building things into our business plans. There are requests for funding in there and one of the items that has been identified as a need in Yellowknife have been the need that’s met by the SideDoor and that has been identified in the work that we’ve done, the documents that we have pulled together and that are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I haven't seen the final draft. I know that the work's been done, as I've outlined. But I haven't seen the final draft and I am waiting for that to come across my desk. There has been extensive efforts made to connect up with the leadership and I do believe that if they didn't do it as a group, they've managed to meet with them individually. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there has been extensive community consultation and I indicated to the deputy minister and the folks involved to keep contacting the community leadership and if we can't get hold of them, track all the efforts we've made to in fact get hold of them. So I will check with the department, but I will commit to the Member that I will have a copy of that report for him and for myself so we can go over it together before the end of this week. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the review was done. They are just finalizing the consultation with the communities. They've been in there with the various stakeholders and trying to set up meetings with the community leadership to go over the content of the review and the recommendations that were made, and I'd be more than happy to get a copy of that for the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, that consultation has been underway. They have been meeting with various groups, individuals and organizations in the community. The one group that they were having some difficulty getting it all together was the actual community leadership comprised of the chief and the mayor and the Metis president. But they have been working on this and we're going to finalize the report, but they were going over the recommendations as well as the content of all the interviews and work that was done. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as the Premier noted earlier, conservation and efficiency are critical elements in addressing the broad range of energy issues facing the Northwest Territories today. Conservation and efficiency provide an immediate response to the high cost of energy and, as a government, now form a part of our business-as-usual approach.

In addition, and perhaps more importantly, energy conservation and efficiency help us to address one of the most serious environmental problems facing us today: climate change. Mr. Speaker, experts predict that unless efforts are made to reduce greenhouse gas...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as a Legislature we’ve always said that employees are our most valuable asset and I, as well, hold that to be true. Today in Fort Smith at four o’clock, the Government of the Northwest Territories are going to be recognizing the service of many employees with the long service awards. While there are too many to name individually, I would like to, for the record, indicate where they work and the numbers of employees.

River Ridge has 11 employees with a total of 130 years of service being recognized. The women’s correctional centre has three employees with...