Robert Hawkins

One year would be fine.

For a couple years I’ve been asking about providing an opportunity to build a new hospital or at least a new fully independent wing attached to the hospital, because it makes better sense to make new than to renovate a hospital while it’s in full operation.

The Department of Public Works has always said, well, if that’s the choice of the bidders, then that’s the one we’ll examine, of course, and the best value for Northerners is the way we’ll go. It’s been my understanding that that has been taken off the table, and the three bidders, I was speaking to one a couple days ago and they said that...

Epistolize. Write a letter. Respond in writing.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last Thursday our Finance Minister said, “We do not have the revenue growth necessary to make all these investments possible and we are constrained by our $800 million borrowing limit to borrow to make strategic investments.” As I further listened even closer, he points out that on the revenue side, resource revenues are expected to be $41 million lower and corporate taxes $24 million lower than estimated in the last budget. He points out that this is a perfect storm of shocks that has reduced our $100 million cushion borrowing limit to $70 million.

This is unwelcome...

In the last year is the Minister able to provide statistics on southern hire versus northern hire? Thank you.

Does the Department of Human Resources keep any statistics on southern versus what I would call northern hire? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is never too late for this McLeod government to be reminded about what is truly important. Even when they pay little attention to whatever advice Regular Members offer to share, I continue, once again, to feel the need to remind this government about the great crisis of our time.

The crisis I speak of is affordability. It’s known by many names, all of equal value, but whatever name you choose to use, it is always the same problem to the same families.

If you can’t afford to live, there are very few – ridiculously few – options for people to turn towards. The cost of...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m really glad that the Minister described it as an essential service because that’s very important. We all know that the government, or I should say the Power Corporation through the government is working to create generation of power as cheaply and efficiently as possible. We know without more customers it’s difficult to continue getting it any cheaper without, of course, technology as well.

We know customers are encouraged through energy efficiency programs and encouraged to reduce their consumption, and that’s a very important element, but the distribution side...

I want to thank the fine, old Minister because he was calling me young Member yesterday. So the very old and elderly Minister of NWT Power Corporation of pointing out the budget dialogue that he read. By the way, I followed it keenly word for word, I enjoyed reading and I will enjoy reading it for years to come if I ever get sleepless and have to find ways to cure that.

---Laughter

On a serious note, though, it’s my understanding that some hydro communities are subsidized. Rather than pointing out a particular hydro community, one over another, maybe the Minister can put officially on the record...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s an honour to recognize constituents in this House, as every Member enjoys. I would like to recognize Pertice Moffat, who is a constituent of Yellowknife Centre. I would also like to first say thanks to the Status of Women Council for the excellent initiative that they launched. I often have said to get more women elected, you have to get them to campaign and this is exactly what it’s doing, getting people out there and giving them the right tools. So, specifically, Lorraine Phaneuf and Annemieke Mulders are constituents of Yellowknife Centre.

Finally, I want to...