Robert Hawkins

Thank you Mr. Speaker. There is a serious shortage of diesel fuel across western Canada. Many drivers are nervous about the supply and whether it will dry up altogether. Most certainly the question out there today is how effective is the resupply going to be in the North, both the supply as well as the price. Those are important questions. In a recent news broadcast a spokesman from Petro-Canada said the shortage is due to an unexpected high demand this month from wholesalers. In addition, problems at several Alberta refineries have combined with diesel fuel in short supply. Two refineries...

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister for recognizing how important this program is to the people of the North. I respectfully disagree with him on the size of the figure he’s pointed out. I think it’s a lot higher in the Northwest Territories. The specific benefits in theory are supposed to go to the program.

But what I will say is that the important thing is: are we getting value for money? Is the money going to the right ideals that we believe we subscribe to, which is making sure we can keep the cost of food as low as possible for all Northerners to be able to benefit, no matter what community...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

WHEREAS, the Government of Canada has operated the Food Mail Program for many years;

AND WHEREAS the program now costs approximately $50 million annually to administer, with those costs increasing on a yearly basis;

AND WHEREAS the intent of the Food Mail Program is to subsidize the high costs of groceries in small northern Canadian communities by reducing the cost to ship healthy food items north;

AND WHEREAS there have been many instances over the years of abuse and poor management of that program;

AND WHEREAS many people suggest that the Government of Canada is...

Mr. Speaker, I guess it’s not so much of an “if” scenario as…. I mean, we plan EMOs for exactly these types of operations when something happens. I guess I’m really searching for the answer to how prepared the government is if this problem creeps into the Northwest Territories. Because, I mean, we get our food from places like Edmonton, Calgary and beyond, and that’s a reality if that’s a problem. If they can’t fill up their trucks there to drive north, it affects the reality we live in here.

Mr. Speaker, that’s the type of information I’m trying to get here. I’m not trying to embarrass anybody...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I talked in my Member’s statement today about a concern about diesel fuel for transportation and the concern that shortage has caused. My question could apply to multiple Ministers, but I think maybe in this particular case I may ask the Premier for his perspective on the situation.

In this situation here we have a possibility of a shortage.... Well, actually, I shouldn’t say possibility. We know there’s a shortage in Western Canada. The question really is: when is this shortage going to creep up into the Northwest Territories?

I’d like to ask the Premier: from his...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can I move that we take a break?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just quickly, Sissons was built in 1975, and it hasn’t received a significant renovation since then. It has had some work in the ’90s. But in reference to its elderly age, its mechanical and electrical systems have approached the end of their normal service life. This school actually doesn’t have any space for any types of storage. To my knowledge, the playgrounds have eroded to the point of being unsafe. If anything, I certainly would say that this facility is in dire need of a serious renovation and upgrade. It really doesn’t have any place for us to expand to. It...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I put a lot of thought behind this. You know, we struggle with the context of supporting our colleagues and going our own way. It’s always quite impressive when we work hard together and come to a common front. I guess I’m struggling with this one because of the issue of where we get the best value for dollars.

I’m not sure, if we lease, if we get the best value per dollar. I like the proposal presented, as one of my colleagues, Mr. Krutko, had pointed out, where if the Gwich’in build a building and lease it back to the GNWT, we get it for a dollar at the end. That’s...

I’m just trying to seek clarity in the area that we have an existing project that needs to be renovated, which I do support, and the motion falls from heaven today, and I’ll certainly be behind it.

That said, I just want to be clear that if Hay River were to get a new high school on that formula, I’m just trying to get a sense of the old “it’s better to renovate versus build new.” I was always under the understanding that if you renovate existing — typically a lot of our schools are fairly old, but they have large classrooms, working spaces, et cetera — you’d be able to retain those spaces. I...

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate that. When the Hay River high school was designed, it also came with some type of caveat — if I remember correctly, that is — that any substantial change to the building, including painting, had to have some type of sign-off of the architect. Is that true, and if it is true, how is it being worked around?