Robert Hawkins

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of years ago I approached ITI with the idea of a made-in-the-NWT branding program. This idea was to support our local manufacturing businesses across the North to assist them as they market their products. Voluntary, of course, but what this does is help the consumers understand the choices before them. For example, a consumer could buy windows made in the NWT, which of course incidentally are produced in Hay River, or they could buy those other brands that are not produced in the North. The importance of this program is, as when I suggested it was, the fact...

What I found, working at the corrections centre, was that when many of these souls did dry up and cleaned up from their alcohol and drug problems, I would find that they rid themselves of those drug and alcohol demons and they were truly decent people. Clearly there is a problem.

By now what I’m trying to say is this territory needs better options. We need a treatment centre in Yellowknife and it should be a program that includes treatment for crack, meth addiction, as well as prescription abuse. I remind the Health Minister that this is truly an important issue in the public that needs...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. At this time, I’d like to move that committee reports progress. Thank you.

---Carried

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs.

Please provide information, other than the MACA website, as to how the department publicly promotes the office of consumer affairs, along with the office’s mandate.

How many complaints or inquiries has this office had over the past two years?

Please provide a summary of these complaints or inquiries for the past two years along with any recommendations and actions taken.

Mr. Speaker, undeniably, I’ll say that you could step out of this building and get away from the throes of what the impression of what the world really wants in this building to actually getting on the street to what the real citizens will tell you, and undoubtedly, I will tell you that they will say the Northwest Territories needs a detox centre.

Mr. Speaker, it’s true that some types of demons in the drug and alcohol areas that they may require specific programming, and perhaps on-the-land programs are more appropriate for those types of problems, but, Mr. Speaker, jails aren’t always the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sadly, as highlighted earlier today, our community has lost another youth and it’s attributed to drug use. The thing is, I continue, as many other Members here continue, to cite the issue of we need a detox centre here in Yellowknife, and if not here in Yellowknife, then somewhere in the Northwest Territories. The Minister doesn’t have to take my word for it, of course. There’s always Justice Vertes or the YK Chamber, the NWT coroner or perhaps even Stanton committee’s position on the need for these types of facilities.

My question directly to the Minister of Health and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I’d like to thank our committee chair, Mr. Menicoche, as well.

As the audit report explains, the purpose of a P3 is to shift a portion of the risks of a public project to a private sector partner who brings technical and financial capacities to the project. A P3 procurement strategy carries risks in that the public sector must establish a working relationship with a suitable partner and clearly negotiate each party’s obligations to the project.

In the case of the Deh Cho Bridge, the audit found that the project was not a P3 because the private sector partner had no...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is an incredible need for intense alcohol and drug treatment programs to be based here in Yellowknife. Alcohol and drug abuse, as we’ve all seen, continues to have a profound impact on this city and the North in every single community. This problem, as we all know, is longstanding, but right now, wherever I look, people are united in wanting to take support and action on this particular issue. We have seen what easily could be defined as a rare and united consensus on taking action on this particular issue.

It is not often that a very respected Supreme Court...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two items I’d like to table today. The first is a mock-up for a tourism initiative program that I’d like to talk about tomorrow, so I’d like to officially table the item today so that I can refer to it.

The second item I’d like to table today is the poster for the 2011 Celebrity Auction: Mad Hatter Spring Gala, which will be held on Friday, June 3, 2011, at the Ed Jeske Arena.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have to explain to the Minister how paralyzing drug and alcohol problems are to people of the North, but the reality here is this government could make that commitment today and not hope that the new Assembly will take care of what rightly is the responsibility of the legislators of today, which is to deal with this particular problem.

The last thing I’ll say, Mr. Speaker, is forcing people to Stanton is not the appropriate place. Forcing people to jails is not the appropriate place. That’s why I’m here today asking the Minister if he will commit. If this report...