Sandy Lee

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would certainly expect that when he has created an ADM position -- and I know he’s got people working a lot on this project -- then I would expect better comparison and better analysis and better numbers than going by anecdotal evidence. Mr. Speaker, what evidence, what has he done to compare the advantage and I want to be shown the advantage? I’m prepared to support this as long as there’s an advantage that he says there is. So I would like to know is he prepared. When would he do a comparison between this Novel housing with what’s in the market in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s wonderful to see a gallery almost full today and I am sure they will all be recognized in due course, but I just want to say a special congratulations to the grads of community health representatives work.

---Applause

I admire and congratulate all women, but I just want to read a note that was sent to me by a husband of one of the graduates who asked me to read this, but I didn’t get to read it in time and I just want to say it’s for Anita Pokiak from Ernest Pokiak. “Tell her I love her and she’s a wonderful wife and the greatest cook. Even when she’s away there’s...

Thank you. Just a few short comments to add to this, Mr. Chairman. I think Mr. McLeod is right when he said that around here we lose the concept of money. We throw around $100,000 here, $200,000 here, $200 million like it's just numbers, you know, and $330,000 is at least $100,000 more than my house is worth. Three hundred twenty thousand would get us at least three teachers, or at least five special education assistants. It would get us at least three Novel housing, according to the Minister of Housing's math. It really is a lot of money. On the basis of what we're hearing, that is not...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The things that I’m afraid of is that we’re the guinea pig in the front line of this massive project that would only, as far as I could see it, benefit the company. They’re doing a fine job, but the Minister has other obligations and that I don’t want to see $200 million desperately needed housing money going down the drain because this Minister and this government refuses to do the necessary due diligence. So I’d like to ask the Minister, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to know if he’s so confident about this project and if he’s so committed to the needs of people who...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to thank the Minister for that non-answer and if he wishes, I’d be happy to make all the information that we’re getting, we have been getting in the committee for public consumption, because, as far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing in there that is anything other than a big song and dance on behalf of the project. The Housing Corporation is so enamoured with this project they are failing to do the due diligence on a project as big as $200 million.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions today are for the Minister of Housing Corporation. It’s in regards to the number of questions that I have been raising about Novel housing. Mr. Speaker, I know that the questions and the statements I’m making on this issue are working to improve this project if anything, and anything I can do to improve this project, if this is going to happen, I’d be prepared to take full credit when this is done. So I’m going to continue to ask these questions also, because I’m motivated by lots of calls and e-mails I’m receiving from communities who are...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak today about the situations surrounding the overcrowded conditions at Catholic schools in Yellowknife. As you might recall, Mr. Speaker, at the end of the February session we agreed, very reluctantly on my part, to give the Yellowknife Education Facilities Review Committee a chance to conclude its work, as long as the Minister agreed to make some decisions before the June session. With two days of session left to go, we are not any further ahead than we were. As I expected, and any reasonable person looking at the situation should have...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for the NWT Housing Corporation.

Please provide an independent analysis of the comparison between the cost (per unit and per square foot) of the average Novel housing as proposed by the government with brand new manufactured/mobile homes of similar size and quality, taking into consideration the possible volume discount advantages that could be had by ordering 830 mobile homes from any company in the industry.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a note of caution to the Minister. The provisions, as he’s just read to us, are pretty broad and it really leaves a lot of room to the judgment of the parks officers. That’s okay, but sometimes we may need narrow confines in the interest of the parks officers, so if anybody challenges them, they have the force of the law or regulations that they can refer to and present to the people who may object to being fined or charged because they are interfering with the natural environment. I guess this would be a whole new area for the parks officers to get into once...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A few general comments and some questions, Mr. Chairman. Obviously it’s not too difficult to support the intent and the content of what this bill is trying to achieve. I think that I don’t know exactly what incident or incidents may have given a rise to this amendment in a way that it had to be done in a very expeditious manner. I wasn’t purview to the GED committee who probably got some more detailed information, but I can think of situations that have happened in Yellowknife at the Fred Henne Park last summer that could probably speak to the merits of such a bill...