Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I don’t say that as a criticism of the program. I would just like to see us get a return on the program. If we are going to educate northerners, I certainly would like to see them…We are investing in folks to come back and we are investing in the right people. I know the last couple of years I have had people ask about programs when they go into their masters, and the Minister provided them with good information and opportunities to go forward and families were very grateful. So when you see an increase in the program, that is going to be an extremely good positive...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to table a document. The document is a petition called the Fluoride Action Network. It was released on August 9th, 2007, and it’s a signed petition by over 600 professionals with their concern regarding the use of fluoridation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, this would be a great project to tuck under the belt of this Premier walking out the door and saying we accomplished some good stuff in the term of this Assembly. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Premier say today he will make sure this building is in the hands of the Yellowknife Housing Authority by the end of next week so we can get people into that building like we told them we would six months ago when we cut the ribbon in early March or in that period? Will he commit to doing that to make sure we start having people move into adequate housing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on the issues I was advocating many years ago was about the disabled barrier for disabled housing unit, and Minister Krutko, at the time when he was Housing Minister, initiated the project and just recently, in the spring, the new Minister of Housing, Minister Handley, had helped cut the ribbon in this facility. But, Mr. Speaker, the spring is long since past. We are bulldozing almost into the fall here and winter will be long gone. When will this facility be open? My direct question to the Minister of Housing is, when will this brand new barrier-free...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure where the Minister is getting his briefing notes, but I did check the land and, by the way, I got the information from your department. So you can make all the funny jokes you want; this is from your office. So, Mr. Speaker, in February 2007, the city expressed interest in reviewing options for purchasing the Con and the Rycon trailer courts. In July 2007, the city passed a motion to acquire the common areas of the trailer court and recommended MACA should offer fee-simple title to the existing leaseholders to them directly. So where is...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I was reading my Member’s statement and I was starting to wonder, is the MACA department standing in the way of accessible lots and, therefore, affordable housing here in the city of Yellowknife. Mr. Speaker, I have to try to figure out why the Minister of MACA has refused to allow the application to come forward by the City of Yellowknife to go to the public process, the interim measures agreement. So, Mr. Speaker, maybe the Minister can help explain to this House and to the City of Yellowknife where the transparent process has gone and why he refused...

Vivian Squires, as well, like Mr. Dent had recognized. There are a couple of other special people in the gallery that I’d like to make mention of: Katherine Silcock. She has her mother here from down south who’s visiting here today in our gallery. So thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, like my colleague from Hay River, would like to highlight the concerns about the PeopleSoft program. Mr. Speaker, the word Oracle, the name of our program here for pay and benefits, its definition is authoritative person who defines the future, Mr. Speaker. Did they foresee the thousands and thousands of dollars that would continue to be spent and paid for this debunked or crazy program that does not work, Mr. Speaker? Maybe that is what they saw all along.

Mr. Speaker, GNWT employees have been unable to enter leave for days on end. Their reports aren’t...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Maybe it is not appropriate to ask the question because you say it is not involved, but to further pursue this, why isn’t it involved in the Public Health Act? One could see it as a toxic substance. Yes, it may help cavities, but it is also found in other areas to be quite toxic to people for their general health. Why wouldn’t it have been considered for this act? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just for clarification on this, more so on the intent, do we do any…What type of follow-up do we do with water testing and do we broadcast our testing results anywhere? So it sort of speaks to the section as a whole. I suspect community water testing gets sent into some facility like the Stanton Territorial Hospital, gets screened out and…Like, what do we do for public assurance, because the average person wouldn’t know where their water quality sits. They just assume, unless there’s a flag or a report on one of the media things, everything’s good. So where does...