Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just something I was thinking about while I was listening to the debate with great interest, of course: with the Cardinal design of that Hay River school, do we still have to go through some approval process for him to sign off if any changes are made to that school?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can I move that we take a break?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just quickly, Sissons was built in 1975, and it hasn’t received a significant renovation since then. It has had some work in the ’90s. But in reference to its elderly age, its mechanical and electrical systems have approached the end of their normal service life. This school actually doesn’t have any space for any types of storage. To my knowledge, the playgrounds have eroded to the point of being unsafe. If anything, I certainly would say that this facility is in dire need of a serious renovation and upgrade. It really doesn’t have any place for us to expand to. It...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I put a lot of thought behind this. You know, we struggle with the context of supporting our colleagues and going our own way. It’s always quite impressive when we work hard together and come to a common front. I guess I’m struggling with this one because of the issue of where we get the best value for dollars.

I’m not sure, if we lease, if we get the best value per dollar. I like the proposal presented, as one of my colleagues, Mr. Krutko, had pointed out, where if the Gwich’in build a building and lease it back to the GNWT, we get it for a dollar at the end. That’s...

I’m just trying to seek clarity in the area that we have an existing project that needs to be renovated, which I do support, and the motion falls from heaven today, and I’ll certainly be behind it.

That said, I just want to be clear that if Hay River were to get a new high school on that formula, I’m just trying to get a sense of the old “it’s better to renovate versus build new.” I was always under the understanding that if you renovate existing — typically a lot of our schools are fairly old, but they have large classrooms, working spaces, et cetera — you’d be able to retain those spaces. I...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be supporting the motion. I just want to note for the record that I do support the completion of the work that does need to be done on the road to Fort Smith, but it’s the priority of public safety that I’m supporting. That should not, in my view, ever be a question. If people are at risk in any way, we should absolutely be making sure our dollars are spent in that regard. Public safety over public pride of the road…. It should never be a question of whose road is the prettiest or the smoothest. If people are being put at risk and we have to close roads because...

I’d like to table a document. It is page 3 of the Yellowknifer dated Friday, October 17, 2008, which is today. The article is titled “34-Hour Reading,” and it makes specific note of a memo that was received. Thank you.

Document 107-16(2), NNSL article, tabled.

Mr. Speaker, I’m not alarming the public. The bell has already rung. I cannot unring the bell that’s been rung, that’s been brought to me. The fear and concern is because YACCS is not allowed to build their own independent kitchen at this time. The fact is that no one’s one hundred per cent clear where these meals are going to come from, and no one’s one hundred per cent sure at this time why you would have three kitchens when you only need one. So where are the meals coming from? Clearly, the question simply is: will the meal plan be delivered by Sodexo, and is that privatization of the meal...

Mr. Speaker, I have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding food services at the new dementia centre that’s being constructed right now. There’s a concern out there that the food services won’t be adequately delivered or of adequate quality for the long term care people at the dementia centre. I’d like to ask the Minister: will the food services be privatized at the new dementia centre, and will that subsequently lead to the privatization of all the food services at Aven centre?

This is a significant social problem that the Minister keeps wanting to point at the city to solve. This is a shameless approach to pass it on. Would the Minister responsible for the homeless step up and say that she will work to establish a public washroom, without trying to download it to a municipality?