Wendy Bisaro

The election looms large and housing is a particularly important issue for all of our constituents. I urge all NWT residents to take action during the campaign. When a candidate appears at your door, tell them of your housing concerns and ask them how they will deal with them if elected.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NWT Housing Corporation is currently in the middle of a review of its Shelter Policy. I commend this House for recognizing the importance of this review, and for ensuring that adequate funds for a thorough review were approved in our 2011-2012 budget. This review is important, both to MLAs and to our constituents, and approving those funds has allowed for a comprehensive review, not just a scratch of the surface.

I had an opportunity to provide input to the review earlier this summer and I spent considerable time with the interviewer itemizing my concerns. Mine are...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have similar comments with regard to this supplementary appropriation. I, too, have expressed before and I still feel that we budget for our forest fire suppression completely wrongly. I think our residents and constituents understand sort of a home budget where you estimate what you’re going to spend and then you budget for that amount of money. What we do here for forest fire suppression is we budget for the absolute minimum, knowing full well that by the time we have mobilized our forces, the minimum has been spent and there’s going to be a need to come back for...

I hear the commitment that he’s willing to sit down with the city, and absolutely I will be following up with that. I guess my question was more to the Premier in terms of what will this government do to facilitate a solution, apart from trying to talk to the feds who haven’t been listening for 15 months. What will this government do to try and find a solution, not to give money out, but to try to assist in some of these ideas and suggestions that have been generated? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I spoke in my Member’s statement about a problem in my riding, a very large problem that’s over a year old. I will address my questions today to the Premier, as my problem, when it blows up, is going to involve more than just one department. As the leader of the government, I am addressing my questions to him.

You know the people in Northland are not looking to be bailed out. They are willing to bear their fair share of a project, but they really need help and they need help in an emergent way.

We don’t have any programs right now to address the situation. I have been...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to my colleagues. When parents move, so do their children. Fifty percent of the population of Northland is children in school. Consider the negative impact on school budgets and school district staff when those children move out.

Along with school district revenues decreasing, the City of Yellowknife will see a $400,000 drop in their tax revenue. More jobs lost, more services cut.

Mr. Speaker, the scope of the problem at Northland extends far beyond just the replacement of the water and sewer infrastructure. It’s an extraordinary situation but it’s an...

My comments are very similar to those that my colleagues have already expressed. I, too, believe that this clause is probably not necessary, but until we have the proposed amendment to the Interpretation Act passed through this House so that we have a clause which is consistent and which covers all of our legislation, I feel that it is only fair that we include it in this particular act as a whole.

I am struck by the response of the Minister and Cabinet relative to this particular suggestion that they have denied including these clauses in this act but have seen fit to include it in the...

I do appreciate the work that the government has done in the past. But it’s been a year and this problem is not going away and this problem is ever more imminent. The failure is ever more imminent as time goes on. I’d like to say to the Premier that my question was for the future. What will we do?

I know what we have done. The residents, the constituents, Members have put forward ideas, they have been put forward by both the condo board and individual residents in an effort to get the project started anytime over the last year. The problem is nobody is listening and nobody seems open to the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a number of people today over here on the left side of the gallery. We have a number of residents of Northland who are here to observe the proceedings: Cheryl Fountain and her daughter Rhiannon Hoddinott; Rebecca Alty; Vivian Hansen; Wade Friesen; and Celeste Coomber. You will note that some of them are young, and some of them are very young, and some of them are not so young.

I’d also like to recognize the returning officer for Frame Lake, Shauna Morgan. Welcome everyone.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At my constituency meeting last week I spent considerable time discussing one huge concern, one that’s been an ongoing issue for 15 years for Northland mobile home residents.

Northland mobile home park is a neighbourhood of 258 homes in central Yellowknife and houses 1,100 people. As Members know, the infrastructure in the park is in dire need of replacement, and the lack of political will to address this emergency situation is frightening.

I was asked by one of my constituents the other night, do they -- meaning governments -- realize how serious this is. Mr. Speaker...