Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that on Thursday, October 21, 2010, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Yellowknife South, that notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on Thursday, October 21, 2010, it shall be adjourned until Monday, October 25, 2010;

And further, that any time prior to October 25, 2010, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may...

I do agree with the Minister that it is important to discuss this, but I’m having a very difficult time. I believe this is a matter of poor communication or lack of communication. It would seem to me that this funding is coming from the department to the Health and Social Services Authority in Yellowknife and then to the programs that they happen to be running. I don’t understand why the specifics of the federal funding would change from the year ‘10-11 to the year ‘11-12, and that’s what I hear the Minister saying.

She also mentioned that, you know, a transitioning is not to be used for ways...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up on the questions of my colleague Mr. Abernethy and direct them to the Minister of Health and Social Services. I am really confused even more so than I was prior to our statements. In an effort to bring some clarity to this issue and the funding for this program, I want to know from the Minister how we can have information from the Department of Health and Social Services which tells me that funding for this program in 2010-11 will be continued and next year into 2011-12, and that there will also be an increase in that programming. I would like to...

Mr. Chairman, I will talk about Mildred Hall first. I appreciate and I am thankful to hear that Mildred Hall is going to be considered at some point in time. I look at the capital needs assessment that we received a little while ago and note that there is no money indicated for Mildred Hall until the fiscal year 2013-14, which is a fairly long time down the road. I would hope that the finishing of those renovations is going to be before that.

With regards to Sissons, the Minister mentioned a technical study was just recently completed and did an analysis of one of the things he mentioned was...

My apologies, Mr. Chair. I got caught up in the moment. It’s a facility plan for all of Yellowknife, so I will keep my question until later. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I did make some comments on the opening of the capital budget. I made some comments about education. I am particularly concerned that the Education, Culture and Employment capital plan doesn’t include any projects for the city of Yellowknife. We have a number of schools within the city that were on the plan last year. When we reviewed capital last year, there was some indication that a couple of schools would be on the plan for this year and they are no longer.

When you look at the capital plan, there are really only two major capital projects in the ECE plan this year...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the commitment for the full picture and I guess I have a difficult time understanding why we don’t already have the full picture when we are using some of this THSSI funding in this particular fiscal year.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to ask the Minister if she will commit to meet with the Yellowknife Association of Community Living to hear their concerns, to understand why it is they are so upset about the cancellation of this programming. Will she do that and when? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister for the commitment to bring us forward a plan. That is certainly something committee has been asking for, for quite a while. But there is still a huge confusion around this issue. The Minister has been telling me, through my inquiries, that there is no change to the respite programs for the next fiscal year. Yet, Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority has cut all funding for a program that presumably is continuing in 2011-12. I need to ask the Minister why am I getting different answers. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to express my very grave concerns with a recent action by the Department of Health and Social Services also referenced by Mr. Abernethy. It’s over the cancellation of the respite care program run by the Yellowknife Association for Community Living, a local NGO.

The respite program provides much needed relief to 29 families in Yellowknife. Some of these families have moved to Yellowknife from other NWT communities to access services available here; services like specialized health care and the respite program.

What began as a very small pilot project in 2003...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Premier today, Minister responsible for the Executive, I believe.

In having heard from the participants of the summit that the elimination of poverty has to be the highest priority for this government, and me having advised the Premier of that, and it was also in a press release that came out a week or so ago, I would like to first of all ask the Premier if he can tell us just how that will happen. What will he do to make the eradication of poverty a high priority for this government and what will he do to make sure that the work on...