Robert Hawkins

Does Housing intend to be involved or support the expansion initiative over at Avens for seniors?

I’m not sure it’s worth questioning anymore. The information will come. We all know… What do we have? We have five days left in the Assembly. I’m sure it will show up on my desk on October 9th. It’s really disappointing. To say that it travels to Behchoko now from three to five days a week to at least twice a month, that tells me… It just doesn’t tell me it’s needed. I think I’d like to move a motion to delete it. I think that this is a super-sized vehicle this department and this section doesn’t need. If they need one, keep one in your fleet but you don’t need two super-sized suburbans...

Thank you. I’ll take it that will be before the end of session. That said, has the Minister been approached in the last two years by any community group in Yellowknife to extend the opportunity of housing for seniors? Thank you.

Well, I hate to call the Minister wrong, but he’s wrong because I did it last week. I towed a big boat with my vehicle and it’s a small vehicle. It’s not as fancy as the $65,000 luxury vehicle they want for the sheriff’s office to drive the judges around and it doesn’t ride as smooth as an Audi, but I’ll tell you my vehicle did it.

So, I still haven’t got to the answer of how many times did the vehicle go to Behchoko last year and the Minister doesn’t have it, he just wants to cite platitudes, saying, well, it goes three to five times. But we don’t really have a real answer, because I think...

If we had more time I wouldn’t mind knowing a little more about what are they doing and when do they actually start realizing it’s a product worth using or not using. I’m just curious. I mean, they’ve been saying they’ve been testing it for a number of years. This is the first time I’ve heard it’s two years. I thought it’s been out there for four or longer than four.

The deputy minister also talked about other design tests. Can he explain and elaborate? Thank you.

Under this particular circumstance – and now I am going to take a leap in a different direction – what seniors housing does the Department of Housing support in Yellowknife? Thank you.

Well, Mr. Chairman, I mean, if he’s saying they need this vehicle, this luxury vehicle to sit in the fleet at the courthouse or can go to Behchoko, I am curious how often it’s used. But keep in mind, it’s not just one vehicle, it’s two that they have in their fleet. We’re going to get to the second one in a second that sits on standby so they can travel in great comfort. So, how many times did the court party go to Behchoko last year? It’s a good question.

Has that test been successful and when do we call it an end of the test? Thank you.

Other than the Niven Lake… No, sorry. Niven Lake unit, that will put 19 new doors on the market in the Yellowknife area. There are no other new doors being added to this community?

Mr. Chairman, it sounds like we should buy them a moving van, not a luxury leather Denali Suburban, who knows? I mean, let’s be honest. Maybe the Minister can explain why a Ford Escape that holds four or five people in there, or even a four-door pickup couldn’t do this. It would certainly come at half the price for the occasion of driving to Behchoko. We’re not even getting into this yet about the fancy $65,000 vehicle sitting at the courthouse probably doing nothing during the day while one is on its adventure on its way to Behchoko. I’m curious what the Minister has to say about that....