Robert C. McLeod

Absolutely. Again, not only just with the City of Yellowknife. The Member talked about seven communities. So if there’s a possibility of partnering with the seven communities to put together a plan for partial implementation and figuring out the costs and making sure that goes through this Legislative Assembly, then it’s something that we would seriously consider.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government’s position is they recognize that there is a need to provide a service across the Northwest Territories. I remember for a few times in the seven communities…We oversee all 33 communities in the Northwest Territories. This speaks well to the wide range of services offered across the Northwest Territories. We have so many small communities that would just like to have the cell phone service to be able to go to the next level. This is something that we have to sit back and have a look and make sure it’s something that benefits all 33 communities and if it’s...

This is a message that I have been working on trying to get out to the community, that communities have all the responsibility. MACA will continue to give them their capital money. There is a base funding that we are hoping that is ongoing so communities can plan for future capital needs. There are other sources of money, too, that the department along with the GNWT have been trying to access to pass on to the communities. The GAP tax funding is a perfect example. That is going on for another few years. The Building Canada Fund, any other money that we are able to get from the government to...

The department would provide the framework for all the deferred maintenance on all the assets in the community. The community can take that and submit and do their own community preventative maintenance plan based on the framework provided to them by MACA. Thank you.

We’re going to have a chance to look at the report and analyze the report and cost figures and how it would be best to implement this. But, of course, once we do that, we would be willing to -- seeing as it was the City of Yellowknife that put together the report with some input and participation of the GNWT -- sit down with them and try to roll out the next step. Hopefully this can carry on to the other seven communities, which is a start, then hopefully get the rest of the communities in the NWT on board with this.

I appreciate the Member’s comments that these seven communities make up 77 percent of the population in the Northwest Territories. That’s one of the reasons I need to bring this to Cabinet and get Cabinet’s opinion on the report and see where we can go from here. If it’s partial implementation, then we would have to consider if it’s the desire of this Assembly. Of course, it would have to go through the whole budgeting process and have approval from this Legislative Assembly to implement partial service.

There are budget numbers in the capital plan. It would be the community’s capital plan that these budget numbers would be in.

Mr. Speaker, the responsibility for capital was transferred over to communities and the old funding method meant that the communities would have to compete with all GNWT projects. So now they have the ability to do their own capital plan and it would be the department’s desire and intent to assist them in putting these capital plans together so they can work on their plan for a few years down the road. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has reviewed the issue of deferred maintenance. It is in recognition of the impact of the deferred maintenance, that being instrumental in MACA securing an increase in its operation and maintenance funding for the community from a whole average of $17 million a year to over $60 million today. In 2006-07, an independent consultant was hired to complete the community infrastructure assessment on the physical condition of community access. It is using that information. That information was provided to the community with the studies for their own...

Mr. Speaker, we have had discussions with the new Minister, my counterpart in Nunavut, and it was agreed to that we would put an ad out and seek nominations. Anyone interested would just follow the nomination process. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I would imagine that this would fit under an emergency, as this seawall needed to be built to protect their infrastructure. As I advised the Member, I will be bringing all this forward with the department and we will see what kind of options we have and I will advise the Member and the community of Norman Wells. Thank you.