R.J. Simpson

There's a lot of work ahead, I can tell. Is there someone in the department who is tasked with the NTCL file, that is the expert on this, who is making the plans, who knows the acts, knows the devolution agreement, who is focusing on ensuring that this government is doing the right thing when it comes to NTCL lands?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier I spoke about NTCL and their lots in Hay River. I have some questions for the Minister of Lands. When I brought this up before, the government didn't seem to be doing much, and so I was hoping they've been a bit more proactive.

Has the department done any inspections of NTCL's lands in Hay River or anywhere in the Territory to check for environmental and compliance issues, and what were the results of these inspections, if they occurred, and what future actions are they leading to? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Finally, I would like to ask the Minister if he would commit to keeping me updated on any movement on this issue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I'm glad to see that there have been some inspections. There are some sites that you don't really need to wait to see how things turn out. You know no one is going to buy them; you know no one wants them. So we can have plans in place for those lands, at least.

In the devolution agreement, there are clauses that absolve the Government of Canada of any responsibility to remediate sites. These are called released sites. Are there any released sites that the department has identified in Hay River or anywhere in the Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, In my riding of Hay River North we have some beautiful waterfront property. Much of that property is owned or leased by NTCL, and unfortunately, too much of it is littered with old fuel tanks, barges, scrap metal, derelict buildings, and garbage. This mess is a constant eyesore for the residents of Hay River, works against this government's ambitious plan to increase the number of tourists, and does nothing to help attract new residents to my community.

We all know that NTCL won't be cleaning up these properties, so it falls on this government to take the...

Thank you. Do I have a seconder? Member for Frame Lake.

---Carried

So, in the positions I'm talking about, the ECE cuts in Hay River, were other positions in that office reprofiled, or were duties given from the cut positions to other employees?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd just like to follow-up my line of questioning with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I didn't quite get where I wanted to go with that. So from my earlier questions I gather that its positions that were identified as expendable in the last budget were identified and a determination was made that they're expendable by deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers with no consultation from anyone below. He said that it's based on the nature of the job, which is a job description, a piece of paper, if it's vacant or not so a checked box and an impact...

My question, I must not have phrased it properly is: who determines if the position is expendable? Is it the deputy minister? Is it the ADM? Is it the director? Is it the director in consultation with the manager? At what level is that position identified and that decision made?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. We just went through a business plan session with the departments; I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. The first time we went through this most of us were very new and I didn't quite understand the process, and I'm still not clear on some things and so I'd like to clarify with the Minister about some of the decisions that were made. Specifically, when the department is looking at cutting positions as was done throughout the GNWT, what factors are considered when determining which positions...