Mr. Speaker, you know the department is doing a great job. I see a lot of resurfacing on the Dempster Highway over the last couple of weeks here. You know, I’d just like to ask the Minister, will the Minister ensure that the calcium is laid down by the end of session here?
I’m not sure if I could commit to have that done by end of session. I’ll have to check with the department and see when we will be applying that.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of follow-up questions for the Minister of Transportation regarding the ferry services. Mr. Speaker, the Minister made a commitment in this House to provide me of the cost analysis of what the two extra hours of ferry operations would be. Unfortunately, I did not ask for a date for getting that information. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister commit to having this information to provide to me by the end of June 24th. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Transportation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I cannot commit to having it to the Member by June 24th, but I will commit to the Member to have it to him by end of session. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you. Can I get a clarification if it’s session, because we can go on for a while, or at the end of this sitting? Thank you. Mr. Speaker.
---Laughter
By the end of this session, June 29th.
I thank the Minister for the commitment. I am assuming we’re talking about the sitting at the end of this June. I think that’s what I heard. Mr. Speaker, the Minister made a commitment to provide me the information about the cost for operating the ferries in the Northwest Territories; however, again I asked for the return date. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister commit to having this information to provide to me by the end of this sitting?
Yes, we will commit to having that to the Member by June 29th. Thank you.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. I guess at the end of sitting, so we can confirm is the 29th, and you’re going to get it to me by that date? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, I will get it to the Member by June 29th, end of business day. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Finance. I believe public confidence in oversight of the sole source contracts might be improved if reports for the last two fiscal years, that’s 2014-15 and 2015-16, were produced and posted to the website. Could the Minister make a commitment to produce these reports as soon as possible? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Finance.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is we produce those every year and I will make a commitment to the Member that we will share those. Thank you.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Finance Minister for that answer. I would just like to understand how and when this information will be shared. Mahsi.
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. These are normally produced at the end of each fiscal year and I believe these reports are also tabled. I will confirm that and share that information with the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As I pointed out in my statement, with the increased purchasing amounts, these contracts may be of more interest to larger non-resident suppliers. I’m wondering what kind of change there’ll be in this to the BIP application to the sole-source so that we know that sole-source contracts go to northern suppliers. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the Member is correct. You know, there will be more interest in a lot of these procurement processes because the amounts are available, but again it was encouragement we got from the business community. BIP would still apply to these, and I can assure the Member and all Members that we take all steps necessary to ensure that our northern-based businesses have a fair opportunity and a good opportunity to secure these contracts.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Today we haven’t had the pleasure of hearing from the Minister of Health and Social Services, so I have a couple of questions for him. I understand that from previous discussions we’ve had here in the House that there’s a couple of midwifery consultants that have been hired to do some work to help design the territorial system. Can the Minister tell us when the contracts for those two individuals finish? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We tried to the last fiscal year to hire some positions and we weren’t able to get anybody until February 2015 is actually when I believe we were able to get those individuals into that position. I’ll have to confirm. I don’t believe they’re term positions, but I will confirm whether or not they are term, and if they are term what is the end date. I do believe they’re indeterminate at this point, but I will confirm. Thank you. Mr. Speaker.
I’ll be interested in getting the information from the Minister. If those positions are indeterminate, is there a way to roll those positions over into becoming full-time positions and supporting midwifery services in Yellowknife?
Mr. Speaker, anything’s possible, but we can’t really do anything until we actually have the program designed which is what we’ve hired these individuals to do. Given that they have the appropriate background, it may be appropriate to do so, but it would also depend on whether or not the incumbents were interested in doing that. There’s a lot of ifs here, Mr. Speaker, but we’re open to creativity.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I have questions on the costs of the Visual Identity Program. My questions are to the Minister of the Executive regarding the creation of a new government of the NWT Visual Identity Program.
What factors prompted the decision for and timing of the creation of a new visual identity?
How much was spent developing a new Visual Identity Program including contract costs of public and internal consultation and for preparation, selection of, and approval of design alternatives?
How much was spent on the development of visual identity standard guides and design elements and the dissemination of guidelines and design components?
How much was spent replacing pre-existing materials bearing superseded visual identity elements? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I wish to table the following two documents entitled “Accountability Framework for NWT Community Governments 2014-2015 Annual Report” and the “2015 Annual Report of the Fire Marshall.” Thank you, Speaker.
Masi. Tabling of documents. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the following document “request to reduce corporate tax rates – correspondence from the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.”
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I give notice that on Monday, June the 20th, 2016, I will move the following motion. I move, seconded by the Honourable for Great Slave that notwithstanding Rule 4 when this House adjourns on June 17, 2016, it shall be adjourned until Thursday, June 23, 2016. Further, that at any time prior to June 23, 2016, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time. Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will be seeking unanimous consent to deal with this motion today. Mahsi.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to deal with the motion I gave notice of earlier today. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I MOVE, seconded by the Honourable Member for Great Slave, that notwithstanding Rule 4 when this House adjourns on June 17, 2016, it shall be adjourned until Thursday, June 23, 2016.
AND FURTHER, that at any time prior to June 23, 2016, if the Speaker is satisfied after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice and shall transact its business as it has been duly adjourned to that time.
Mahsi.
The motion is in order. To the motion. Question has been called. All those in favour? All those opposed? Motion carried. Masi.
---Carried
I now call the Committee of the Whole to order. What is the wish of committee? Mr. Beaulieu.
