Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya.

A number of other matters were raised by stakeholders. First, a community advocate asked the committee to ensure that amendments align with human rights legislation. Specifically, he sought to ensure that Aurora College students have the right to receive a copy of their tenancy agreement. Some students have been denied this request in the past, which prevented them from voting. He further recommended ensuring that landlords do not have the right to enter student premises without notice or a police warrant. The committee noted that the act exempts...

To the Minister: I have to express my surprise and my huge concern that the Minister is not aware that this stretch of road needs upgrading. It’s not an access road; this is a GNWT highway, a territorial highway. Albeit, it’s in the city of Yellowknife, but at the moment it’s a territorial highway, and if the Minister doesn’t know that it needs upgrading, it’s no surprise that we haven’t had any success.

To the Minister: he’s going to have this meeting. At this meeting is the Minister willing to commit to provide funds to get the repair work done that’s needed on this road? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on the questions asked by my colleague Mr. Bromley, and I have some questions for the Minister of Transportation with regards to the piece of road between Niven Gate and 49th near downtown.

You know, the Minister explained how difficult this problem is, how complicated it is. I have a very simple solution for the Minister. The city and the GNWT have been talking about this stretch of road for many years. So, my first comment to the Minister is that there’s a simple solution to this very complex problem: fix the road, which is what needs to be done...

I have to assume that there is no strategy; the Minister has not referenced it at all. I appreciate the work that Education, Culture and Employment has done in regards to languages, and I also, like the Minister, think Aboriginal languages and the preservation and advancement of Aboriginal languages is extremely important, and we are starting to work in that direction. But the Official Languages Act is a law, a piece of legislation, and the regulations that follow it require representation on our languages boards. It specifically asks for specific representation.

I’d like to ask the Minister...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask a few questions about the Official Languages Act and our languages boards and the lack of movement on making changes.

In the wake of the report in the 16th Assembly by the Committee on Government Operations into the Official Languages Act, in response to that report, at some point, the Minister promised to table an official languages strategy and I’d like to ask the Minister, first off, was that strategy ever tabled? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a motion. I move that this committee recommends that the Government of the Northwest Territories complete the work necessary to bring municipalities under access to information and protection of privacy legislation;

And further, that the Government of the Northwest Territories renew its commitment to produce and table a full and final report on this issue no later than August 2015, identifying the steps and resources necessary to complete this work in a timely manner;

And furthermore, that a proposal be included for phasing in this work such that tax-based...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. This was another bill that required a fair amount of work on the part of committee, and it was another bill where we ended up with a better product than what we started with. There was good cooperation from the department and committee both, and some back and forth which allowed us to get to a good place.

I just want to mention a couple of concerns that are raised in the report that are not specifically dealt with in the bill. We had quite a lot of representation from stakeholders at our public hearing and they raised quite a number of issues, which again, like the...

Thank you, Mrs. Chair. We wish to deal with Bill 12; Committee Report 11-17(5), which deals with Bill 12; Bill 36; Committee Report 12-17(5), which deals with Bill 36; and, time and energy permitting, Committee Report 10-17(5). Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So that’s not going to happen for about five years, then, if we go through the capital process. It’s well beyond that. This is not a new project. It’s something that’s been on the books for quite a long time.

So, if the GNWT is not willing to do the work, will GNWT accept the bill from the city when they do the work and hand over the bill? Thank you.