Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Reading the Department of Finance and, specifically, the section on the Liquor Commission, there is a corporate culture, a vision, a mission, a mandate, values, et cetera. I want to ask our Minister, in light of this corporate culture and one of the visions is that our customers will have a healthy and responsible attitude towards alcohol consumption, and we’ll provide them with the opportunity to discover, enjoy and share a wide variety of beverage alcohol. Since the lifting of the restrictions at the Norman Wells Liquor Store, the amount of liquor has gone up by 50...

Mr. Speaker, it has been reported that 85 percent of reported crimes in the Northwest Territories are alcohol and drug related. Ninety percent of inmates of Northwest Territories correction facilities have addiction issues.

With the usage of Nats’ejee K’eh and looking at the programs, is the Minister looking at a culturally relevant program? I believe that these numbers have to reflect a lot of the smaller communities, and a lot of the inmates in our centres are Aboriginal people. Is the Minister seriously looking at a drug and alcohol treatment program, not a mental health and wellness program...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement, I quoted some pretty astronomical numbers in regard to the alcohol abuse-related deaths, injuries, accidents and suicides. On that pendulum swing right over the next, people who want to sober up and they use Nats’ejee K’eh, can the Minister inform me that at Nats’ejee K’eh, with a budget of $2 million and an occupancy rate of 46 percent, if Nats’ejee K’eh is working with the people of the Northwest Territories?

I also understand that the Minister is seeking information from the communities and I support the Minister on the community addiction...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Transportation.

How many loads have been trucked up the Mackenzie River winter roads to date this winter season and what is expected to be the total number of loads for the 2013 winter road season?

How many loads are projected to travel on the Mackenzie Valley winter roads in 2013-2014?

How many vehicle accidents have occurred on the Mackenzie Valley winter roads to date this winter road season?

How many maintenance cycles are within each contractor’s section on the Mackenzie Valley winter roads?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to ask the Minister of Finance, in light of the amount of work that we have to do regarding alcohol abuse in the Northwest Territories and the revenue that he receives on the sale of liquor in the Northwest Territories, is the Minister looking at increasing that percentage to promote some strong, heartfelt campaigns to look at alcohol from a different perspective in people’s lives?

The Northwest Territories Liquor Commission sales in the Sahtu, in Norman Wells was about $2.3 million, up from last year about $220,000 from the previous year, about 10.5 percent. With this campaign program, when you are asking people to have a healthy and responsible attitude towards alcohol, it just flies right over their head.

How is the Minister measuring the effectiveness of this program? How is he getting people to have a healthy and responsible attitude towards the consumption of alcohol? When you look at the alcohol-related crime stats, it certainly doesn’t indicate the effectiveness...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the Sahtu we have a high population of youth, I think about 79 percent, that are 15 years and over. Can the Minister tell me where the youth go for drug and alcohol treatment programs in the Northwest Territories?

Would the Minister also look at preventative measures next year for the Department of Transportation as advising these hotshot rookie drivers of semi-trucks that you need to listen to the people in the North, maybe put on chains and then the tires on some of them? I’m not too familiar with the Sahtu hills and driving through this region here. Can the Minister put together a policy that all drivers would know when they come into the Sahtu, driver beware?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday my colleague Mr. Menicoche and I talked about the Mackenzie Valley proposed highway up from Wrigley to Norman Wells. We did talk about the exploration that is happening in the Sahtu. There is not only tens of millions but hundreds of millions of dollars being invested into that area. We talked about the infrastructure such as the Mackenzie Valley winter road.

I want to ask the Minister, because of all the recent reports and community concerns in light of all the investment going into the Sahtu region, and going through the Nahendeh region, is the Minister...

Some time ago the community of Deline asked for this bottled water concept and they were told to come up with $200,000 or $300,000. Small communities like that just don’t have that kind of extra change in their pockets. I’m hoping the Minister would again look at that and see if that’s a possibility.

Another thing I want to ask the Minister, in terms of the potato spud captain of Norman Wells, how he’s helping small entrepreneurial people look at commercial ventures such as having some of those potatoes in some of our communities. I’m looking for the Minister to come forward to our committees...