Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like today to speak to yesterday’s statement from Minister McLeod, Chair of the Ministerial Subcommittee on Infrastructure. While I agree with the Minister that we face significant challenges in the GNWT capital planning and delivery process, I was dismayed to hear the Minister state that, and I quote, “Some of the more important changes we’ll be implementing are....” What struck me when I heard those words was the finality of the statement. The Minister is advising the House and the public that changes will happen, that the decisions have been made and the GNWT is...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I must be having a tough day, because I’m confused again with the numbers. Page 6-12 is titled Revenue Summary, yet the two amounts that were referenced by the Minister add up to about $25 million to $26 million, which I thought she said was the amount we incur in expenses, and we only get $15 million back in revenue. If I could have a clarification, please.

So we would be left with two coordinators then: one in Inuvik, one at headquarters. I do understand from the information the department provided to the standing committee that some of the sort of technical support is going to be provided by TSC, and that’s a good thing. What is going to be the function of the two coordinators that are left? Will they have a regional scope, and just what regions will each of these two people cover?

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to give voice today to some concerns about the proposed budget that have been heard from our communities.

NWT communities are generally pleased with the budget, except for the process followed. Budget development lacked any public consultation and effectively handcuffed the communities’ own budget processes.

As a result, at the NWT Association of Communities’ annual general meeting, held in Simpson last month, the membership passed the following motion:

“Whereas the Government of the Northwest Territories…announced in January that it will cut approximately $135 million in...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have a number of comments which have already been made, so I’ll just highlight them. I don’t expect answers. I think they’ve been answered already, but I wanted to point out some concerns which I have.

We just discussed housing for seniors. My concern is housing for seniors — I don’t know a better way to put it — who have money. I believe there needs to be — probably more so in Yellowknife than in any other community — some sort of housing source for seniors who have a certain amount of money. There needs to be some sort of a subsidy for seniors who can afford their own...

I appreciate that regional offices will be providing some assistance. I suggest that’s probably not going to be enough. I’d like to know whether or not the department is going to be monitoring the situation should the emergency planning coordinator position not be there after this budget. I’d like to know if the department is going to be monitoring the situation and evaluating whether or not the communities are able to do these jobs on their own or if things are going to be falling through the cracks.

Assuming that the capacity of local governments remains as it is — it tends to be quite stretched, I guess would be a good word — I appreciate the Minister’s answer, but at the moment the local governments do have the assistance of the emergency planning coordinator. If that position is gone, they’ll be left on their own. Is the government planning to provide any assistance to community governments to help them get these plans done, which should be an important part of their local government planning?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, colleagues.

Who will help our communities be adequately prepared for any and all emergencies when this position is gone? Who will help our residents, following a flood or a forest fire, to access the federal funding they are due when this position is gone?

In closing, our residents, our voters, through their elected local governments are telling us to delay this budget — that it lacks analysis, rationale and that the proper consultation was not done. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that the Speaker be authorized to set such sitting days and hours as the Speaker, after consultation, deems fit to assist with the business before the House.

The other question I asked was: who is going to assist the communities to access federal dollars to help to refurbish the communities’ and/or residents’ homes if there is, for instance, a flood or forest fire which creates damage to infrastructure within the community?