Shane Thompson

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I guess I'm looking at Fort McMurray, I was down there; I saw what happened, how quickly it can change. It's very scary, and how fires do amazing things. I saw trailers not touched where houses were burnt on both sides and back and front.

So can the department or the Minister provide us some assurances that the department will work with the communities to find some money to help put these firebreaks in place so that we can make these safer communities? We're living in an environment where a lot of our communities do not have the equipment necessary. Even in Fort McMurray...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Can the Minister tell us how this department and Municipal and Community Affairs work together to work with firebreaks around communities? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank Dr. Kelly for her answer. I’m just struggling with this whole process that there seems to be redundancies they say in the Deh Cho but in some of the other regions, there’s more positions in there. I’m looking at one region where there are four positions combining these two or we’ll have one. I’m struggling with how this works because you talked about water resources is that area. I’m looking at that page and this page here. There seems to be a large number in certain areas. That is a big concern for me.

It also really pushes my concern that it seems to be the...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I thank the Minister for his answer. I'm a little concerned, though, how the reduction of this position seems to be able to be filled by another position within the department. Does the reduction of this position meet the mandate as set out by this government? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer. So can the Minister please advise us why the Deh Cho position was cut over the other regions? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would just like to ask the Minister just to clarify the four positions. The four positions, one is being retired, correct, and the three positions are not filled, so those three positions, is that money gone, or is that money just staying within the department? I am just trying to get a clear picture on this. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Minister for his answer. I look forward to that information. I guess, when he is providing that information, will the Minister commit to providing us how many new PST teachers will be needed for each school? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Minister for his answer. I guess my question, though, and I understand that: where is this money? Is it still in the budget? Was it something from here? Okay, thank you.

The Minister has also referenced ECE commitment to seeing a program support teachers in each community NWT school. I understand from our discussions in Committee of the Whole that they will be funded through the health, wellness, and students line item. What dollar amount has been identified to get these positions filled and bring a PST to each NWT school?

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank the Minister for that answer, that's good to hear. I guess my big concern is that the department does a great job being reactionary, and I give them full credit to it, I'm hoping that the department will start looking at this as being a preventative way of making these communities safe.

In my riding, we live in very treed areas and sometimes the communities are totally engulfed in the trees. I would hope that the Minister can work with the department and get them to start looking at a proactive approach, a plan in place to address this concern in the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I have been travelling across the NWT, the topic of caribou comes up with a lot of people. The more people I talked to, the more I became interested in what was happening in the Deh Cho in this area. After doing research, I found out the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is doing studies with boreal caribou in the Deh Cho.

Mr. Speaker, it was initiated in 2004 with the deployment of 10 satellite collars on adult female caribou at the request of, and after consultation with, Sambaa K'e Dene Band.

I am happy to say that there are extensive consultations in...