Tom Beaulieu

I just have a question for the Minister on the insurance for the fire at Chief Albert Wright School. I am curious why insurance costs don’t cover this $451,000 plus the previous $188,000 for cleanup.

On a previous occasion the Minister replied to one of my questions about working for sport and youth infrastructure from different sources. Can the Minister tell me if he has worked directly with the communities of Lutselk’e and Fort Resolution in regard to leveraging dollars from other sources?

Today I wish to acknowledge a young athlete and role model, 16-year-old Amber Mandeville of Fort Resolution.

Amber enjoys being out on the land, helping others, giving meat to elders, and taking visitors up the Talston River and Jean River. Last year, Amber was chosen as top junior ranger and was also a recipient of the Youth Award for Akaitcho Territory Government. She volunteers as a gym supervisor, coaching younger children in badminton and soccer. Amber is the only youth from Fort Resolution in this year’s Arctic Winter Games.

Please join me in acknowledging and congratulating this young...

[English translation not provided.] Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, back on November 28 I spoke about infrastructure needs for the youth in Tu Nedhe, the Tu Nedhe riding. On Monday I talked about providing support to communities to allow them to hire qualified recreation staff. Today I would like to talk about input that I have received to date on the issues from the communities.

In Lutselk’e they have a new arena, but they do not have the staff to properly maintain the facility. As well, the community is not fully prepared for the high O&M costs of running a community arena. And they...

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

I'd like to pass my condolences to the family of Noel Abel, from Lutselk'e, who passed away just before lunch yesterday, February 11. Noel Abel was 84 years old and lived in Lutselk’e all his life. Noel Abel was one of 17 siblings and was the last living man of the family. I believe there is only one member of that family still alive, and that's Vicky Sanderson, also from Lutselk’e.

Noel had many, many relatives. I spoke to a couple of his nieces yesterday, and they tell me that Noel had 50 to 100 very close relatives, counting all his...

Mr. Speaker, today I talked about the importance of hiring qualified, properly trained recreation staff in our communities and the struggles many of our communities are experiencing with this. My questions today are directed toward the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Geographically the North is unique in many factors, and these factors include the cost of living in each community. Taking this into account, can the Minister commit to taking the lead in developing standardized pay scales and job descriptions for recreation professionals?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize some interpreters and elders that have come in from the riding. They are Terry Villeneuve and Bernadette Lockhart.

Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the importance of getting and retaining good, qualified recreation workers in our communities. As you know, recreation staff play an important role in the positive development of our youth, as well as contribute to overall community wellness with the delivery of effective sport, culture and recreation programming.

Mr. Speaker, many communities struggle to find and retain good, qualified recreation staff. Often they hire unqualified local individuals. Often these individuals, who have the...

I listened to and read the Sessional Statement by the Premier from Wednesday. I have a few comments on it.

I think during the last government there was a lot of effort put into negotiations across the Territory. There was a lot of effort in housing, whether it be the social housing kind or the housing of professionals for market housing. A lot of time was spent on resource development, non-renewable resources and renewable resource development.

I’d like to see our attention shift just slightly, not because all of those things aren’t important, but because this government has to have a vision...

Mr. Speaker, if the community is able to hire qualified, properly trained recreation professionals, that usually means the individual will be hired from outside the community, in many cases from the south. Because of this, sometimes problems can arise because of cultural differences between the new employee and a community and its residents. It would be ideal to hire local individuals who work with recreation professionals and the community. Would the Minister commit to developing standardized job descriptions and pay scales for these local recreation positions?