Rylund Johnson

Yellowknife North

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 158)

That's pretty good. That's a pretty quick turnaround. I will be genuinely surprised if we complete this on time and on budget in 2026, whatever that budget may end up ultimately being.

I guess back to my previous point, I could do this for every single capital project you know, is there federal money, when is it starting construction, when is it completing construction, what are you doing with the initial assessment, how is it being procured, how much is the total budget - I've never gotten an answer to that one but, you know, one day hopefully.

I would encourage the GNWT, before it comes and...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 158)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am very happy to hear that, and I'm sure all of the people moving in tomorrow are even happier. Great news.

I guess my question, in a bit more serious tone though, is that this has taken a couple of years. We still haven't, on the public record, figured out exactly what happened. I know there were some contractor disputes. There were some inspection issues. But do we have a figure now about what all of this cost us in extra dollars? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 158)

Thank you. Is there any federal money for this type of thing? Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 158)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last few months of a session are a series of mixed emotions. Projects you've been yelling about for years all of a sudden finish and you find yourself sighing in relief but also wondering why was that so hard? And then, Mr. Speaker, projects that you were really hoping would get done, well it turns out they're not going to get done and another Assembly will have to yell about them for more years. And, Mr. Speaker, there's one project above all that I would like to see completed before I leave this session, not removing Walmart from BIP or opening the DMV on Saturday...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 158)

Thank you, Madam Chair. I had a few questions about the previous line item. I guess the $1.6 million for the Fort Smith Territorial Fire Centre, I believe this is the first time that the Legislative Assembly is approving any money for this project, which is exciting news. I remember we all went and got a tour of the old fire centre but I guess I just have some basic questions. Do we have a cost estimate of what a new territorial fire centre will cost us? Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 157)

Thank you, Madam Chair. Sorry, can I just get the numbers again on what the power corp applied to be the rate of diesel on the rate application and what the price of diesel is and I believe it's like a dollar and a dollar 50, and those numbers are they have their own kind of prices because they're exempt from carbon tax and some other things; can I just get those numbers? Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 157)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in this House, the Premier referred to a number of agreements that I believe they were in draft stage and going out for consultation. I'm just wondering when and if, at all, those will be available for the public to see or myself to see? You know, it's been about 20 years, I think, since you can see whether the GNWT's negotiating position has changed on these matters. There's not a lot of documents out there that shows where we are currently where we have been negotiating for decades. So I'd be very interested to see where we're at and what's changed in the...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 157)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As committee has been dealing with its UNDRIP legislation, I think it's fair to say there are some fairly high expectations about what the government is willing to change and there are some fairly tall asks being made of the government, and I think it is in everyone's interest that the GNWT be transparent about what it is and isn't willing to do. The GNWT, in that legislation, commits that Indigenous rights are not frozen in time; they are capable of evolution and growth. We have heard that if that is true, then cede and surrender language in agreements is not...

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 157)

No further questions. Thank you.

Debates of , 19th Assembly, 2nd Session (day 157)

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, unfortunately, this is an area where, you know, doing a lot doesn't really count until it's signed and the ink is dry. It's unfortunate. We've been doing a lot for 20 years. I know many negotiators who have poured their entire careers into this, and I'm not you know, I don't want to take away from their work. But it's tough work. I guess, you know, if this is the path we're on where we have three draft agreements, maybe one in the life of this Assembly. I'm wondering if the Premier has any kind of direction on how we can speed this up, or is it just the...