Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move we report progress.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My comments are quite similar to those of my colleagues, but as I’ve said before, I think they bear repeating.

I too am pleased with the work that the Housing Corporation has done over the last number of years. There have been a number of changes that have been made. I like to think that the Housing Corp is thinking beyond the box a bit, that they are analyzing where need is and they’re responding to that need. I think the changes have been very positive on certainly the government but also, I think, on the people that are in public housing and the people that are...

Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My last question has to do with – it is kind of a timing question again – the city will have an upgraded and adequate dispatch system by quarter one of 2015 they’re telling us. So the technical capabilities will be in place for 911 for dispatch, the technical capabilities are there from NorthwesTel’s perspective, as far as I am told. So once this study is out, I’d like to ask the Minister how soon will we be able to move forward on this. The technical stuff is there, we simply need the will of the government. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister. I understand, as well, that Municipal and Community Affairs did a survey of attendees at the NWT Association of Communities AGM in May, I guess it was, of 2014, earlier this year. I’d like to know from the Minister, if there are results from that survey, are those results public, would he commit to share them again with Members and the public? Thank you.

The NWT has been the beneficiary of federally funded FOXY programming, and in the absence of that federal funding next year, it is incumbent on the GNWT to fill the financial void, to find the funding necessary for FOXY to continue. This is a successful program, one that serves NWT youth – and that’s a stated goal of this 17th Assembly – and it is a program that is growing. It would be a crime to let this program fade away. As business plans are being finalized, I urge Cabinet to find the funding for this worthwhile program. If FOXY ends next April and we have sat idly by doing nothing to...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just have a question here with this CMAS Business Intelligence Project. It doesn’t indicate in the budget what program this is for, and I believe this project has been ongoing for a number of years. I just wondered: when will this project end? It looks like it is ‘16-17, but how much is going to be spent in ‘16-17 in addition to what we are spending this year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. My comments are very similar to those of my colleagues and for good reason. I think we are all concerned about the amount of dollars that is in this section of the capital budget for this department. It is almost 25 percent of our operations budget, and yet, as has been stated, it’s less than 2.5 percent of the capital for this particular department. There is only one major project in this $6.4 million that the Minister just mentioned, and that’s renovations to the Lutselk'e Dene School. The other school projects are relatively minimal. There’s no reference in documents...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister I would suggest since he didn’t say that they have replied to the report from the Breast Cancer Action Group I would take that as a no.

My last question is my usual time question. I’d like to ask the Minister when can we expect to have this cancer coordinator position filled. Thank you.

Thanks to the Minister for the update. I can appreciate that the coordinator will have an advocacy role, but I would stress that I believe that the navigator position is a lot closer to a patient than the cancer care coordinator is going to be. Just the very name “coordinator” removes it from the actual patient who is in a position to need the help.

One of the recommendations from the Breast Health/Breast Action Cancer Group was to expand the navigator position to the regions and to patients, patients with other cancers. So I’d like to ask the Minister if that is anywhere in the thinking of the...

Not only do the breast cancer patients need a cancer system navigator but patients diagnosed with any kind of cancer need the special help a navigator can provide. Staffing the one position we’ve identified should be a top priority. The Minister of Health and Social Services must find a way to ensure that all cancer patients get the support they need immediately after diagnosis.

I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.