Wendy Bisaro

Thank you. So the Minister is coming back. I presume he means coming back for a supp, coming back for more money. If we know this now why is it not in the budget? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources. I want to follow up on my Member’s statement about Thaidene Nene. I’d like to start off by saying the Premier advised on Tuesday… No, the Minister advised on Tuesday in response to Mr. Dolynny, that we hoped to have a northern position in the next few months. I appreciate the info from both the Minister and the Premier, and I also am really glad to hear about the work that we’ve been doing. I think the Minister said we’ve compressed 18 months of work into about six, and that’s awesome. It is...

Thanks to the Minister. I’m pleased to hear that we’re getting a little more efficient. Maybe that means we’re going to save money, ha ha. I guess I have to ask, the Minister mentioned new planes and new equipment and so on, and it may be a little crass in this question, but are we paying the contractor to upgrade their equipment? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As far back as 1969, through a federal Order-in-Council, land has been withdrawn and plans in the works for a national park at the eastern end of Great Slave Lake. After that initial land withdrawal, there were long periods of inactivity until 2001, and then from 2004 to 2013 talks were held in earnest to try to develop the park concept.

In reviewing the budget last week, Premier McLeod advised the House that we “expect to have some results by the end of March or early April” so that we would know “whether we were moving forward or not.” He also stated that the feds have...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I have a couple of questions here. I raised it in my opening comments but I want to ask the Minister, and it goes to supplementary health benefits for what we, unfortunately, call the working poor. Those people who are working who do not have their own supplementary health coverage either through their work or they can’t afford to buy it. They’re not indigent. They are working and they wish to continue to work. I’d like to know from the Minister if there are any plans anywhere in this next fiscal year to look at providing supplementary health benefits for this small group of...

Thanks to the Minister for that explanation. I don’t disagree. I think what we’re ending up with is a different model in every sort of region and one that’s going to work for each region, and that’s a good thing because we certainly are quite different and require different services in our regions. So I can agree with the premise, but knowing how difficult it is to hire midwives and how long it has taken us to get midwives in both Fort Smith and Hay River and knowing that we’re going to have midwives here in Yellowknife, I would think at the same time that we’re doing planning we will be able...

Thank you, Madam Chair. We wish to continue with TD 188-17(5), Northwest Territories Main Estimates 2015-2016. We will continue with the Department of Health and Social Services and, time permitting, the Department of Transportation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to ask the question again. The education authorities were scheduled to be reduced, some of them were scheduled to be reduced three years running. The first year’s reductions have already taken place.

Will there be reductions to education authorities in the second year when there is no increase in the program offerings for junior kindergarten?

Thanks to the Minister. The Minister, the House knows, Members know, and I think the public knows that there’s now a review underway for junior kindergarten. The results are not likely to be known, I don’t imagine, before the election occurs.

I’d like to know what plans does Education, Culture and Employment have with regard to junior kindergarten for the 2015-16 year. Will it go beyond the 18 communities that the Minister just mentioned? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the Minister. I’m really glad to hear his description in that answer is very close to my own consideration of what the park should be, that it is able to accommodate all the interests of the people that are wanting to use that land.

I asked if there’s a way for people to get any information. The Minister didn’t really advise. I know there is a website for Thaidene Nene. Is there any other place that people can go to, any information on the GNWT website or any other website where people can get information on this project?