Robert Bouchard

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased to hear the Minister of ITI’s comments today about tourism and parks and I think our staff has done a great job. The residents of the Northwest Territories, however, have been asking for longer access to these parks as the seasons seem to be getting longer, or maybe we’ve had an exceptionally good year. I’m wondering if the department is looking at being a little bit more flexible in getting these parks opened longer and starting a little bit earlier when the weather allows.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in Edmonton at Government House, three constituents of Hay River North will be receiving recognition from the Royal Life Saving Society. R.J. Benoit, Lucy Benoit and Jordan Groenewegen will be in attendance at the event in which the honourable Lieutenant Governor of Alberta will be recognizing the efforts and quick thinking of these three Hay Riverites as they each receive a commendation and citation today.

Hay River has a beautiful sandy beach on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and the warm water from the mouth of the Hay River makes the mouth of the public beach...

Thank you. I guess the question that I’m trying to get from the Minister is how are we dealing with this shortcoming of 10 long-term beds, acute beds, whatever you want to call it, that are currently in Hay River?

The facility is being built in the community of Hay River right now and the department has been selling, through communications, through press, that this is a facility for 50 years for the community of Hay River, but it doesn’t meet current needs in Hay River. Obviously, the new health care centre will, but they’re removing 10 beds from Hay River and there has never been any plans in...

I am looking for information from the department on when these 10 beds were removed from Hay River, basically. That’s why I was wanting to know when the budget was originally put in and if they were originally in the budget.

Currently, we’re going to be short 10 long-term beds in the community of Hay River. The two questions I had earlier talked about long-term beds. I’m just wondering about the department’s plans and how they plan to fix the issue of long-term beds, from what I see is a mistake in the department’s planning when they planned to build this facility. They didn’t plan to do any...

…(inaudible)…I understand that the infrastructure money and the O and M money are closely linked in the fact of demand and stuff. One of the questions I have is the formula, as far as my understanding, is it’s a base-plus and base given to each community plus their per capita plus some other factors. I understand that the department consults with the Association of Municipalities; however, that association has two sides. It has small communities and the larger centres. Some issues they separate the discussion; some issues they continue discussion together. They’re an organization that works...

Thank you, Madam Chair. Like my colleagues, I am fairly supportive of the projects that are in the capital budget. It’s probably one of our lighter budgets, but I do have some concerns in the area of timelines, in the areas of highways and buildings being constructed and the fact that the government has decided to look at these in the fall time in order to be able to put them into operation in the summertime. Somewhere down the road, no pun intended, these are getting farther and farther down the line so we’re beginning projects in July and August and getting into the rainy seasons in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d also like to recognize Lorne Kusugak from Nunavut, who I also had a chance to travel with over the last couple days. Welcome to the House.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My question is similar to that along those same lines as the funding arrangement for this capital infrastructure. Indications from the previous numbers… Are there no changes in those numbers? The $28 million has been fixed in for a few years, and is there any indication from the department that that will change at all in the next couple of years? It seems difficult to me, the fact that these numbers are staying steady, but yet the communities and municipalities are all seeing different pressures in CPI, other expenditures where we’re not matching, we’re not keeping up...

Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, October 22, 2012, I will move the following motion: Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Monfwi, that the following guidelines be set out for the NWT Electoral Boundaries Commission, 2012:

The commission shall review the existing electoral districts using the most recent and accurate census and other population data available;

In keeping with Canadian constitutional conventions and the notion of effective representation, the commission shall make recommendations to achieve relative parity between electoral districts while...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to be back here in the House with my colleagues dealing with the important issues of the Northwest Territories. I will equate it to coming to a big family reunion. Everyone is happy to see each other, shake each other’s hand, and shortly after that give each other a jab or two. This morning I was a recipient of most of the jabs, the ribbing, because I wasn’t here for the first day of session. I was travelling with the Minister for Arctic Winter Games. My colleagues know that, but they still had no problem giving me not-so-smart comments. Glad you could make it...