Robert Hawkins

Some people have informed me that local market with more than a 5 percent vacancy rate can really seriously affect potential investors in a particular market area. So, in other words, once we reach greater saturation than 5 percent in the local market, investors are starting to look at this area and saying, well, why would we be there because we’re just going to build an empty building.

What type of study and balance was taken into consideration and is the Minister able to cite the actual percentage of vacancy that will be created in the local market here? Because I want to understand, and I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be asking questions to the Minister of Public Works regarding the downtown building that’s being constructed at this time.

I guess my first question to the Public Works Minister is: What will be the full cost of this particular building? Once we hear that on the record, I’d like to know what we will be saving once we understand the investment required to build that building. I want to understand how much we will be saving, as a government, by having that building in place. Let’s start with that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Saturday, March 8th, was International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the achievement of women and what they have accomplished here in the North, across Canada and certainly across the world.

I personally support the equality of women in all aspects of our world and certainly in our lives. All women so readily deserve our love, appreciation and definitely our respect.

Women, as we know, are equal contributors to the world we know and they must not be thought of in any lesser manner. They are recognized leaders in all aspects of business, politics, academics, sports and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My concern is being at least 5 percent before the building was built or is being built, but certainly let’s get to my last and fourth question, which is about the building and the impact of the cost. Now, the Minister said he didn’t actually have the cost on this building at the very start of my first question. Is the Minister in a position to talk about the costs associated with change orders? So in other words, what was the original budget of this building and what will the final number be when the final cheque is written? We need to get a sense of impact on the...

There have been a fair amount of questions regarding the impact of this potential new building. I shouldn’t say “potential” new building; it’s coming like a freight train. Much has been discussed about the vacancy rate and the impact this will have on our city and certainly the impact on attracting more investment from companies wanting to build office space.

What type of evaluation was done on rental vacancy? How does the Northwest Territories, particularly Yellowknife, compare to that study on vacancy rates and how does it compare to across Canada? What is considered a normal vacancy rate...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize a couple of constituents in the gallery. First off, I’d like to acknowledge and recognize Dawn Lacey who’s up there, I just saw her a few minutes ago. I’d also like to recognize Brian Heppelle who’s here to follow our proceedings today. Of course, special to my heart and to the Premier’s obviously, Melody McLeod, who has been a wonderful lady to me for so many years. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is, in all honesty, a very exciting motion. Rarely do we see the engagement of Members and certainly the public into a type of motion like this. It has drawn the public into the business of the Assembly. It has drawn Members into the business certainly of the Assembly. You see this type of discussion here where people are talking about the issue before us. If we could only give every single issue this Assembly dealt with this much attention, can you imagine the public belief in our system at large?

I will say with great respect, and I certainly mean this, I want to...

Publicly, I’ve spoken about numbers of value of prize. It’s not for me to say per se what is the right prize amount, but I think the federal government needs to be a partner in this solution, because as I pointed out, and it’s even been cited by the federal government that it costs $1.9 million to run that Giant Mine site in perpetuity to protect that arsenic trioxide so it doesn’t spill into the environment.

My question now to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources is: Does he see an opportunity here to engage in this broader discussion about a possible solution on innovation with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The public expects leadership from this government and many times they just don’t see it. They get frustrated when they see the marionettes in the bureaucracy pulling the strings of the political puppets. Many Assemblies have spoken about passion and forcefulness about how they can do things better. Those Assemblies, through them have risen Ministers who try to claim they are the leaders, don’t worry, we are the decision-makers, not fence sitters, Mr. Speaker.

The public demand something and when there’s a clear choice, some of these Ministers would rather sit by and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of lifeguard services at Fred Henne Park beach.

The petition contains 412 handwritten signatures and 312 electronic signatures of Northwest Territories, Canadian and American residents. The petitioners request that the Government of the Northwest Territories act responsibly by providing lifeguard services at Fred Henne Park beach in Yellowknife. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.