Wendy Bisaro

Frame Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we’ve heard, the Report of the Office of the Auditor General on Child and Family Services was tabled in the House yesterday. I read the report last night and again today. There is so much in it it’s hard to know where to start. The assistant auditor general, Mr. Campbell, called it troubling, and considering the contents of the report, I see that as an understatement.

After reading the report, there was a mixture of emotions for me: gratitude to the office of the Auditor General for their work. As always, they were thorough, fair, in-depth, to the point, and extremely...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thanks, Mr. Chair. It was just a comment. That’s all I’ve got.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 45-17(5), Supplementary Estimates (Infrastructure Expenditures), No. 2, 2014-15, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 45-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have to make a comment here. I think almost invariably every year we see leasehold improvements or spending of some sort on the Lahm Ridge Tower, and albeit I appreciate that this is restructuring of a business services division or strategic and business services division within ECE, and I think it was overdue, and I think the restructuring is positive, I have to comment on the fact that we’ve probably spent more on this building in the last 10 years than the building is worth, so albeit I approve this expense, I had to make a comment.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

So, I think the Minister is telling me to kind of wait and see, but I’m still not really hearing that, as a government, we know how we’re going to force companies to put up the security if they don’t for whatever reason. I guess I need to know from the Minister and maybe it’s not firm yet, but are we thinking about taking people to court? Are we thinking about pulling licences? What sorts of things do we have to enforce the securities that have been determined for a particular project? Thank you.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

Okay. One last question. Then I’m applying for a development. Before I’m granted my permit, I have to put up the security that has been assessed to me. Is that correct?

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks to Ms. Magrum. So in the assessment that the Department of ENR does, is one of the parts of the assessment that they’re doing to assess the cost of remediation of a contaminated site either when it’s a working site or after it’s a working site? What I’m getting at is in terms of securities. If the department assesses a site as being contaminated, will they also advise Finance, I presume, that the costs to remediate that site is let’s say $1 million, then presumably the responsibility lies with Finance to go and get that money either from a company or from GNWT...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that consideration of Tabled Document 22-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2014-2015, be now concluded and that Tabled Document 22-17(5) be reported and recommended as ready for further consideration in formal session through the form of an appropriation bill. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

Thanks to the Minister. Yes, I understand that. I was looking to get a cost per year, so we’ve got a good, healthy balance and I’m really pleased to hear that we are expanding recycling and that we’re expanding into e-waste, because I think that is one area where there’s a good potential for us to divert a great deal from the landfill and basically help our environment.

The other question I wanted to ask here has to do with contaminated sites and remediation. I’m trying to understand, and I know my colleagues asked a number of questions yesterday when we were talking about lands and sites and...

Debates of , 17th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a number of comments that I want to make. I want to start off, as did Mr. Yakeleya, by commenting on the increase in the number of single window service centres. I think it is an excellent program. The fact that we are expanding to cover 18 of our communities is excellent progress. I think we will have succeeded when we can get a single window service centre in every one of our communities.

I would also like to mention, in terms of devolution, I think kudos need to go to the staff who have worked above and beyond, I think, in the last probably year, but I noted...