Inuvik Twin Lakes

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We were made aware of it when it was reported that there was some irregular activity going on with some community finances. We were made aware of it, we took the necessary steps that we had to, we appointed a municipal supervisor, and in July of this year we dissolved council and appointed a municipal administrator for the community. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 37)

Thank you. That would be awfully difficult to do because the sooner that they’re able to pay off the deficit, and they’ve already taken some necessary steps in cutting some of the costs to the community, so we’re seeing an effect of that already. So we believe within two or three years they should have the deficit almost off the books. If we were to stretch it out too long, then that may affect their ability to provide a lot of services in the community and you’re going to have to pay it back at the end of the day. So we thought with the two- or three-year payback, with the number of changes...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 37)

Thank you. There is no limit. The situation they faced up in that particular community, the high turnover of SAOs, I think the average lifespan of an SAO up there was, like, six months and no oversight. So that led to some of the problems that they had up there.

With the new accountability framework that MACA has introduced and implemented, we’re believing that’s going to alleviate a lot of that and we’ll be able to identify a lot of potential problems early and take the necessary steps to deal with them. That helps MACA and it helps the community so they’re not so far into a deficit situation...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 37)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome constituent Val Robertson to the gallery, as well as Mr. Sonny Greenland to the gallery, and Mr. Lafferty pointed them out before, but there were a number of people here from the Community Management and Finance Training Program. I believe they’ve all left, but I’ll read their names off so they’re on the record: Judal Dominicata from Gameti, Dennis Buboire from MACA in Fort Simpson, Chris Chai from the Hamlet of Tulita, Lisa Nitsiza from the Government of Whati, Judi Wall from the Hamlet of Ulukhaktok, Alison Brown, Department of Municipal and...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 36)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Being this is the last day of session, I wanted to use this as an opportunity to highlight some of the events that are going to be taking place in Inuvik and the Beaufort-Delta during the summer, but before I do that I want to express, on behalf of some of the Members who went to Hay River last night, our appreciation to the organizers of the Hay River Track and Field Meet for their hospitality. It was a great event, one that we always support and I think the kids appreciate that.

The one memory that stood out, though, was at the opening ceremonies, without prompting...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 36)

Mr. Speaker, the long-term health of our land, water and environment is critically important to Northerners. Devolution has given the Government and Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories new powers for managing the land and its resources sustainably and responsibly. The new Department of Lands has been established to help fulfill our new responsibilities and meet the expectations of Northerners. I am pleased to speak to Members today about the work that the new department has been doing since April 1st.

The role of Lands is to manage, administer and plan for the sustainable use of...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 35)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. No, we can’t, but we will work with the community of McPherson. There has been some work done already to have a deficit recovery plan. We will work with the community to see what their options might be as far as recovering some of the deficit that they are currently running. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 35)

We would be pleased to come to the community and meet with them again. We want to make sure that they have all the tools at their disposal to try to deal with the deficit. So, we’ll be glad to work closely with the community to come up with a recovery plan. With the new Accountability Framework, we’ll be able to monitor our communities a lot closer and if there are any potential issues in the community, we will be able to identify those quicker and step in a lot quicker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 35)

We gave our community government funding and we are confident in their ability to administer that funding. However, in some cases, we come into situations like this and it’s unfortunate that the residents of the communities normally end up paying for it. With the new Accountability Framework, we will be able to track the community’s finances a lot better, and if we see potential red flags, we can step in a lot sooner.

As far as the Member’s community goes, we have appointed a municipal supervisor to help with the deficit recovery plan, so we are working with the community right now and will...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 35)

Mr. Speaker, two years ago the 17th Legislative Assembly made supporting sustainable, vibrant, safe communities one of its goals. Today I wish to advise Members on Municipal and Community Affairs’ efforts to help achieve that important goal. I am referring to efforts that are underway to help ensure the safety and security of Northwest Territories residents by assisting with community emergency preparedness.

Communities in the NWT have experienced natural, technological and human-caused hazards in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Emergencies related to these hazards can occur...