Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister for Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement and ask a bit about the policy or the rationale that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment income support division has with regard to transition housing.

My first question to the Minister is: Can he tell me what definition of transition housing is used by Education, Culture and Employment?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions here with regards to land in and around the city of Yellowknife. For quite some years now we’ve had an interim land withdrawal around the city. I think it started in 2006 or so. It’s been extended a number of times, and my understanding is it’s now set to expire November of 2015. So, is there an intention on the part of Lands to extend it again? Thank you.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have questions about two things here. I did warn the Minister in my opening comments. I want to know where we’re at with the 911. Are we moving forward at all, or are we simply going sideways or backwards? Thank you.

To go back to the non-renewable resource revenues, the deputy minister mentioned quarries. Is that the only things that this revenue is coming from, because the text says minerals, oil and gas royalties. I’m not quite sure if it’s just quarries or if it’s minerals, oil and gas. If it’s all of those, it seems awfully low.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just want to follow up on the local improvement charge. It is allowable, for instance, in the city of Yellowknife to have a local improvement charge on a property for sidewalks for instance. So why is it different, then, for renewable improvement? Thanks.

With my last seven seconds, Mr. Chair, I will say that it may have felt to be a good fit but it’s not. Thank you.

I don’t want to sound too sceptical, but we have been talking about a number of acts, the Property Assessment and Taxation Act, for some time. I certainly hope this brief profiling of a position is going to allow you to move forward on some of the three or four acts affecting municipalities that you haven’t been able to get to. I’ve only mentioned two; I know there are two or three others that don’t come to mind at the moment. It seems to me that our municipalities deserve to have up-to-date legislation that governs them. In my mind, there ought to be a higher priority for the department on...

I appreciate that that’s the rationale and all well and good. This is the first year for this program, so is there going to be any kind of analysis after ’15-16 to determine whether or not – not that whether or not the money was spent, I’m sure it’ll be spent – it’s doing what it’s intended to do? Is volunteerism increasing? Because my gut feeling is that we are losing volunteers throughout the territory and I think we’ve been losing volunteers since the federal money for the Volunteer NWT disappeared. I don’t think we’ve had the same level of volunteerism since that federal money disappeared...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a couple questions here. I’d like to know, first of all, there’s some legislation, I believe, that the department is working on and preparing amendments and/or new acts. One of them I hear is the Cities, Towns and Villages Act and I think the other one is the Property Assessment and Taxation Act. I guess I would just like to know, in general, what legislation is being reviewed. Is there any legislation going to come forward before the end of the 17th, and/or if not, what are the plans of the department for bringing forward legislation in the 18th?

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have some questions here on 383, but it also applies to 384 so I hope I can refer to both of these pages.

Two issues specifically. The first one has to do with the Arctic Winter Games 2018 Host Society contribution. I’m not against the contribution, but I am really trying, and having great difficulty, in understanding why the money is being given out so early. This is 2015 and even if it goes in 2016 that’s two years in advance of the actual operations of the Games itself and it’s not my recollection for previous Games. So, can I get an explanation, please? Thank you.