Robert C. McLeod

There is one other community that received a slight decrease in the O and M funding. Oh, not the O and M; the water and sewer funding. There was a slight population decrease in both communities and that affects their formula funding. The numbers that we’re considering are very minor, but with the increase in the O and M funding to the one community they’ve actually made quite a substantial net gain.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Fifty years seems like a very long time and yesterday, as some of you know, I had a birthday and I happened to turn 50.

---Applause

I’m now considered an Inuvialuit elder, so I have to start sounding wise from this point on.

I use this to illustrate the fact that we have folks who have been married for a long time. I think recently we acknowledged some folks up in the gallery that were married for 65 years.

I have two constituents at home that on April 19th will be celebrating their 50th anniversary. I want to use this as an opportunity to pass on my congratulations to...

Thank you. I know that the construction is ongoing and they’re very close to completing. I don’t have the exact date, but I’ll find the exact date and I’ll share it with the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have withheld some funds from the general contractor because there was an issue with the subs. We had an opportunity to speak to the subs a little while ago. We haven’t heard from them for a while, so I can follow up and then find out if the issue was resolved. But as a department, we did withhold some funds from the general contractor until this issue was resolved. Thank you.

That has been a concern raised by folks across the Territories, because Housing, according to their policies, are obliged to charge economic rent if the assessments aren’t done. There’s been an issue getting some of the assessments over from the income support workers quick enough. The LHOs have been charging full economic rent. However, they’re understanding the situation and they do make adjustments to the tenants’ assessments once they get the proper documentation.

I will commit to the Member that we will try to get the message out there that there is an opportunity for those that have been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That has been a concern raised by tenants from a lot of the communities where they only have access to fly-in/fly-out workers. The whole transfer should, the local housing authorities should be doing the rental assessments by June. That’s our goal right now. However, if there’s an opportunity for some leeway given to those that are getting charged full economic rent, the LHOs are usually pretty good at adjusting the rents once they get the proper documentation. It is something that we have about three or four months now until the actual assessments go back to Housing. I...

I’m provided with a chart from the department that I would be willing to sit down with the Member and show him the numbers. With all the different formulas or funding that we have, the community, both communities have seen a net gain. It takes into account all the others. But I do have the documentation. I’d be willing to sit down with the Member and we can have a look at the documentation, and if he has any questions, I would be pleased to get him some answers.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The formula funding for O and M funding takes into account population and the community’s ability to raise some of their own revenue. They are assessed land value and the Member is correct that the community has seen a slight decrease in the amount of O and M funding that they had because of a slight decrease in population. I’d like to point out to the Member, though, that both communities’ O and M funding actually increased. So there is not really a net loss to the communities.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to extend best wishes to the 350 athletes, coaches and managers of Team NWT as well as the officials that will participate in the 2010 Arctic Winter Games taking place in Grande Prairie, Alberta, this March.

Young people from across the Northwest Territories have been preparing themselves physically and mentally for this biannual multisport games event. They have been spending many extra hours on the ice, in the gym, and on the trails readying themselves to compete against young athletes from around the circumpolar world and to display their talents to the many...

Thank you. I will commit to the Member that I’ll follow up with the hamlet and see if they’ve received payment, and I’ve also committed to following up to see the status of this contract, because my understanding is there were a few issues that needed to be worked out and there were a few people that needed to be paid and that’s why we withheld the money until that got resolved. Thank you.