Wendy Bisaro

I do what I can to support the Yellowknife Homeless Coalition. I can only hope that our government is doing all it can to facilitate the same project. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Homelessness is spreading in our Territory. Where it used to be an issue or a problem found only in the capital or maybe in our regional centres, it is now evident in our smaller communities.

Homelessness has many forms. Absolute homelessness is living on the street, staying in a shelter on a regular basis, or living in places not meant for human habitation. Relative homelessness is living in spaces that don’t meet basic health and safety standards; condemned buildings, for instance. Hidden homelessness refers to those who are temporarily staying with friends or family -...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’m really pleased to be able to make some remarks with regard to the Child and Family Services Act Review committee report. It was very exciting to me to be part of this process and I think that the end result is a very valid one and I think it’s an excellent, excellent result.

It was a year, pretty much, from start to finish for the motion to get through the House until we submitted the report. It was almost exactly a year and it was an exhaustive process, it was a very comprehensive process and I think the end result shows that it was well worth the efforts on behalf of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to totally agree with the Minister. I absolutely hope we never get there. But almost every day, every month that this infrastructure doesn’t get replaced the potential for a major sewer break looms larger and larger.

The Minister says that this government will do what they can. That doesn’t really satisfy me in terms of details. One of the things that would be needed is that once this catastrophic sewer failure has occurred -- and the city is going to be on the hook for it probably -- what would the GNWT do to assist the city to get these major infrastructure...

Thanks to the Minister for that update. I appreciate the efforts that this government is making towards trying to get some answer out of the federal government. I expect there’s as much frustration on the part of MACA as there is on the part of the Northland residents with regard to the proposal.

If the situation should occur where Northland has a major and sudden and serious sewer infrastructure failure, I’d like to know from the Minister whether or not there are any protocols, policies, guidelines that exist within this government that would govern GNWT actions in such a case; actions that...

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, a local travel agency has an ongoing challenge to NWT residents and businesses challenging us to make our cars a safe cell phone zone; no use of a cell phone in the car. So far nine businesses have taken up the challenge, but that only means there’s so many more who could join up. I’m hopeful my statement today will encourage more individuals and businesses to take up this challenge. It’s easy. Just go to www.topofworldtravel.com, fill out the form and send it in. I dare everyone who is listening to do it. Thank you.

I appreciate that the Minister is saying that this government would provide some assistance to the City of Yellowknife if such a situation were to occur. I think it’s important to note that Northland is a neighbourhood of about 1,100 people, which is about 2.6 percent of our whole NWT population. To the Minister, should the city all of a sudden have to find accommodations for some 1,100 people, what will our government do to assist them?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are addressed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. I have spoken before about a portion of my riding where the residents are facing huge infrastructure replacement costs. The Northland residents are still struggling to finalize a plan for the project to replace their aging and decrepit infrastructure. They’re trying to find a way to finance this plan. Recently the City of Yellowknife submitted a proposal to the federal government for some funding through the GNWT. I particularly want to thank the GNWT and especially MACA for their...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I continue my efforts to convince NWT residents and some MLAs, unfortunately, that driving a car and using a cell phone are not compatible. I will put some more info out there and add to the public information, which apparently is necessary to make NWT drivers realize the dangers of distracted driving.

Someone on a cell phone while driving is four times more likely to have a collision than a not-on-the-phone driver. That increase is compared to the risk of collision when driving with normal background distractions, not compared to ideal circumstances where there...

Mr. Chair, I have to ask the Minister what that one refers to. Is it this document which I have in my hand, which is labelled Summary of Departmental Needs, Capital Needs Assessment, 20 Years, Five-Year Capital Planning Process? Thank you.