Debates of February 11, 2005 (day 34)

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to follow up on my Member’s statement to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs. In this sitting of the Assembly, I told people of Nahanni Butte I am either going to have a good news story for you or a bad news story. The way it looks, it looks like a bad news story. There is no indication of a gymnasium for Nahanni Butte. That is absolutely to say that next year we will have something for you. I would like to ask the Minister of MACA when or where can we look at this infrastructure for Nahanni Butte, Mr. Speaker? Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.

Return To Question 364-15(3): Gymnasium Needed In Nahanni Butte

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish I could have some good news. Unfortunately, the budget is before us and we have yet to approve it before we will really know how much we have to put towards infrastructure. There have been a number of announcements over the last while, including the Finance Minister’s announcement yesterday, to put more money towards capital projects in the communities, both in non-tax-based and tax-based. However, that has yet to be approved. Although the federal Minister has announced how the money will be allocated by jurisdictions across Canada for the gas tax, we still haven’t signed an agreement as to the actual breakout of how the money will be distributed. We have not had the opportunity to sit down with the NWT Association of Communities to discuss how that will be divvied up amongst the communities in the Northwest Territories. We’ve just recently signed the MRIF. So there is still a lot of work before we can actually announce where the money will be spent. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 364-15(3): Gymnasium Needed In Nahanni Butte

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am well aware of some of the limitations that the Minister is faced with, but if anything can be classified as green infrastructure, it would be the gymnasium in Nahanni Butte, Mr. Speaker.

Hear! Hear!

---Applause

So I would like to ask the Minister if he could look at that and use that definition when bartering with his colleagues, Mr. Speaker. Will the Minister consider it as green infrastructure? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 364-15(3): Gymnasium Needed In Nahanni Butte

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been very difficult in the last many years to put recreational infrastructure in the communities and put it through the capital planning process and have it compete against water treatment plants and sewer lagoons. This year we have some new monies and we have a considerable amount compared to what we had for capital projects and infrastructure.

We certainly support recreational infrastructure being put back on the radar screen. It’s something we want to work towards as social Ministers to improve the quality of lives. So capital infrastructure, gymnasiums are all something we are considering. We are looking at the criteria and standards. We want to reach out to all communities, the larger centres and the smaller communities including Nahanni Butte, Enterprise and Kakisa, those who don’t actually have gymnasiums. We would like to be able to address those issues and whatever else is coming forward as infrastructure deficiencies. So we will be working on all those things over the next while, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 364-15(3): Gymnasium Needed In Nahanni Butte

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister announced earlier today about the ski program being a high priority. That’s something Nahanni Butte has been doing for a long time and we would like some other choices, Mr. Speaker.

---Laughter

My question for the Minister, Mr. Speaker, is the gymnasium a high priority for this government today? Mahsi cho.

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 364-15(3): Gymnasium Needed In Nahanni Butte

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, active living has been a priority for this government for some time and we’ve increased the pressures on ourselves to commit more and more to stimulate that whole area. We have been focussing on the smaller communities. We have put in a multi-purpose hall in the community of Nahanni Butte. We have also been working with the community to put up a youth centre. So it’s not as if we have been ignoring the community. At this point, with our current standards and criteria, the community doesn’t have a population for a gymnasium. We want to be able to review that and move it forward as a priority and start looking at what we can do for these small communities in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Your final supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.

Supplementary To Question 364-15(3): Gymnasium Needed In Nahanni Butte

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am surprised the Minister brings up population as one of the mitigating factors in determining which communities get a gymnasium. We all know that’s not true today. I would like the Minister to stand away from that argument and say as an identifying need this community doesn’t have this facility. In our budget, we are talking about second schools and second gymnasiums in the larger centres. I think before they get theirs, Mr. Speaker, that communities without should get those facilities and I would like the Minister to commit to that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

---Applause

Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. Mr. McLeod.

Further Return To Question 364-15(3): Gymnasium Needed In Nahanni Butte

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The community of Nahanni Butte has certainly made their views known. I have received a petition. I have received letters from practically every student and every youth from that community. It’s been in the media. We have heard it from the honourable Member for Nahendeh on several occasions now. We’ve gotten the message. We’ve heard it from other small communities that there has to be a new focus on recreational facilities and we intend to do that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.