Wendy Bisaro

Frame Lake

Statements in Debates

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 24)

Thanks to the Minister. I’m a little distressed, because that was the information that was available in July, was that the government was going to be finding an engineer and placing a value on these assets. So I’m a little dismayed that it’s now October and that it hasn’t been done.

I’d like to know from the Minister, we tried to get rid of these buildings. They’re now deteriorating. They are still our assets because we have reclaimed them because the contractors didn’t do their job. So what recourse does this government have to go after those contractors who didn’t fulfill their contract, didn...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 24)

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.

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 24)

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 -...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

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...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

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...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

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...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

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...

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

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.

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 23)

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?

Debates of , 16th Assembly, 5th Session (day 22)

Thanks to the Minister. I have to say that I don’t believe those were my words, but that may have been how they were interpreted.

I do commend the government for the work that has been done to provide assisted living facilities, but there is an evident need, particularly in the city of Yellowknife where about 50 percent of our population lives. We do have an expanding population of adult disabled children who need supervision and need assisted living. I’d like to ask the Minister what the department’s plans are for the future. How will the department accommodate those adult disabled children...