Wendy Bisaro

If I heard the Minister correctly, then, the funding for the Mackenzie Valley Highway is totally outside of this budget. I’m wondering about the Building Canada Plan. Is any of the Building Canada Plan money intended for the Mackenzie Valley Highway? Thank you.

That’s good. Thank you.

The Minister said supp review. Now I’m a little confused. I guess I’m wanting to know when the evaluation of the communications review will be done and when the government will know whether or not we’re going to increase our communications personnel which would then require an additional supp. Is this weeks or months or years that we’re talking?

Thanks, Madam Chair. I have a question here with regards to the Transportation Strategy 2015-2040. The Minister talked about it the other day in a Minister’s statement. This strategy seems to have been being developed for quite some time and I gather we’ve now done consultation, and that’s a good thing. According to the Minister’s statement, our next step is to prepare a draft of the Transportation Strategy and then go back out and visit each region of the NWT in the spring of 2015 to discuss the draft strategy with residents and stakeholders. So, that’s great, lots of consultation. I do like...

To the Minister: I guess, is there no intention, then, to increase the number of communications personnel straight across government? I’m gathering, then, that there is no increase of personnel within the Department of Executive. But with this change in communications strategy and staffing, will there be an increase in the number of PYs required for communications?

Perhaps I could get the name of that report so I would know what to look for. To the Minister, I’m a little surprised that we have a report with recommendations and now we have a consultant who is evaluating those recommendations. So, maybe I could get an explanation as to why we can’t just take the recommendations from the report and internally decide on where we want to go.

Thanks to the Minister, but I already heard you say that the other day. My question is: If we don’t get money from the feds, will you find money from within our own budget to try to do some dredging? Thank you.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I just have a quick question here with regards to the Yellowknife Airport. I haven’t heard anything recently, but certainly over the last six to 12 months there have been a couple of comments about making changes at the Yellowknife Airport, making changes in the management, perhaps privatizing it and so on.

Could I get a comment on whether or not there’s anything reflected in the budget around that kind of action and/or what the department has planned, if they have anything planned for the Yellowknife Airport? Thank you.

Thanks, Madam Chair. I just have one quick comment here and a question, I guess, about the expenditures. But I want to add my voice to those who talked about the need to dredge both the Hay River harbour and the Mackenzie River. I know that it’s a federal responsibility but I think it is something we as a government, as a territorial government, are going to have to seriously consider biting the bullet and funding within and then maybe going after the feds for some money, because this is only going to get worse, it’s not going to get better.

My formal question to the Minister is whether or not...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too rise in support of this motion and I want to thank the mover and the seconder for bringing it forward. I think it’s a very important issue to consider. We have had a very serious situation at Stanton. We’ve had several serious situations at Stanton and it seems that it is happening more and more often. As has been mentioned, we have other health care facilities within the NWT and we don’t want the same thing to happen there.

A change is needed. Some adjustment is needed, and it needs to be made sooner rather than later. The Minister has said that the hospital is...