Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I talked in my Member’s statement about the calculation of income on rents and I want to ask the Minister here, probably for people who are in public housing who get the rent assessment, and they go through the calculations of income to pay the rent, and they pay CPP and EI when they’re working, and when they’re not working they also ask for their income and they also get calculated on their EI. Some of the people are saying that Housing is double-dipping into the rental income. I want to ask the Minister if that’s true.
Mr. Speaker, I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on October 25, 2012, it shall be adjourned until Monday, October 29, 2012;
AND FURTHER, that any time prior to October 29, 2012, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and the Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The fact that the town of Norman Wells’ natural gas will be turned off in 2013 for business and 2014 for residents, the Town of Norman Wells has initiated a process where they want to look at the biomass energy district heating initiative. I want to ask the Minister, and I’m not too sure if it’s the Minister of Finance or one of the Ministers who are the lead on this initiative with the Town of Norman Wells, if they are helping them put together a business case where the town then can go to the federal funders to look at some funding to support their alternative heating...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize my brother-in-law and colleague – he looks so relaxed I didn’t even recognize him at first – Mr. David Krutko.
The activities in the Sahtu could greatly improve the economic base in the Northwest Territories. If they are right, the geologists, the ones I talked about, are right on the amount of reserves that are in the Sahtu, and the exploratory companies now want to go into developing it further and go into production. This is what I’m looking forward to the Minister’s responses to the impacts that could support the Sahtu infrastructure. Right now, because we don’t see too much, we are seeing, what, two, three, $300 million being spent in the Sahtu? We’re talking billions here. That’s quite wild right...
I will relay the comments of the Minister to the community of Deline and I look forward to working with the Minister throughout this Assembly to see what possibilities are out with the extension of the runway. I’ll take it as that.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to ask the Minister if the airport division has done some analysis or projections regarding the Sahtu oil and gas early exploration activity in and around Norman Wells and Tulita. I met with the Deline Charter Community last week and they were asking, because of the increase in that airport facility they are starting to see more and more activity with passengers and freight, and they were asking if the department would consider, in its capital plans, to expand the airport terminal in Deline.
Also, if the Minister could help me out with types of analysis that his...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The main bill was passed last June, so we had ample time to analyze it, and at this late stage I want to ask the Premier why was this time here given such at the end of the line as to how do we respond to some of the changes that are going to be coming down to the Northwest Territories.
Actually, that document is a little over 450 pages. It’s like they’re throwing everything at us and putting some very significant changes to that bill here.
I want to ask the Premier if he has some ideas or strategies as to if this bill here, parts of this bill will significantly change our relationship with the federal government and how we do business in the Northwest Territories. Is he willing to look at a strategy of how we can probably, or how we can deal with some of the issues that will come forward from this bill?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the Town of Norman Wells would appreciate hearing from the Minister his commitment on helping them put together a business case for their alternative energy use.
Would the Minister, once it’s asked by the town, see this as urgent and get the support of his Cabinet Ministers to sign off a letter that would be satisfactory to all the parties?