Wendy Bisaro

I thank you for the explanation. I look forward to seeing more expenditures for Stanton upgrades at some point in the future.

I just want to make a general comment. When we made general comments, there was a response from one of the witnesses relative to the fact that we prioritize projects, giving them a number 1, 2 or 3, I gather. I think it was referencing projects other than the ones we are actually discussing.

The fact that we evaluate projects in terms of need is, I think, excellent, and I commend the staff for the work they do there. One of the difficulties I experience as a Member...

Thank you for that answer. I will presume that if it’s not ready, it’s not going to come forward, but I appreciate the estimate of next year.

I wanted to also ask a question relative to the Stanton hospital technical upgrades. Has there been any change in that particular project from the Capital Estimates that we saw last year to the estimates we are going through this year?

Thank you for that answer. I would like to ask the Minister if there is an estimate of time as to when this particular project will come back into the Capital Estimates.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on October 9, 2008, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

AND FURTHER, that any time prior to October 15, 2008, 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 give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact...

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Minister. I do have to take a bit of an exception, I guess, to waiting for Regular Members. I appreciate that you want to run the policy by Regular Members, but I think this is a situation where seniors are being penalized because they wish to stay in their own homes. They are either disabled, or they are elderly and they need someone to care for them. I feel really strongly that this is a situation that shouldn’t be left for six, eight, ten or 12 months until it comes back to Regular Members and has been vetted by us.

I’d like to ask the Minister if there is any...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment today.

Several times over the last year Members have indicated to the Minister that Income Security changes are required. The one area in particular I’d like to reference is the method of calculation of income for seniors who are living on their own but who may be attended in their own home by a family member because they are unable, physically, to live on their own.

The current policy penalizes the senior’s Income Security payment because the family member’s income is also included in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was mentioned by the Premier in his sessional statement and it has been mentioned by the Finance Minister several times that a revision of NWT boards and agencies is under consideration. We have over 700 boards and agencies in the NWT for a population of only 43,000 people or so. That’s the size of a small city elsewhere. We have far more boards than are necessary, and I believe we can experience considerable savings to the budget’s bottom line as a result of consolidation of these boards.

There are many options that are available to us. The community services board...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t speak for all Members, but I am going to guess that I don’t believe there is a Member on this side of the House who would object to a change in this policy that is going to assist seniors who cannot live on their own. So I would ask whether or not the Minister could commit to bringing something forward to Members, to committee, before we break this session.

Mr. Speaker, I understand that there are difficulties in this and that there are people who will take advantage of a situation, but when a senior can stay in their own home instead of having to go into a public health institution, an elder care facility or a long term care facility, it’s a significant saving to the GNWT. I didn’t hear the Minister tell me when this is going to happen. I understand they are working diligently, but I feel that this is a matter that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. I would like to again ask the Minister when we can expect this policy change.

It’s my pleasure to welcome the group of students who are up there behind me. They are a grade 6 class from William McDonald School, from the riding of Frame Lake, and they are accompanied by their teacher, Amy Switzer.

These students have been studying Canadian government and have been working with the Federal Election Student Vote Program. They will be voting tomorrow. Word is that if all the kids in Canada voted, we’d know who the Prime Minister would be. I’d like to just mention their names, and these are in no particular order: Clayton Ashlie, Craig Pike, Isaiah Martin, Nicolas Berube...