Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to follow up today on my colleagues’ comments made yesterday about this week’s municipal elections.
I offer congratulations to all elected councillors, trustees and mayors, especially those who ran in Yellowknife. I say thank you to everyone who entered the race. Your commitment and sacrifice are much appreciated.
Across the North, six cities, towns and villages felt the wind of change on their faces. We have five new mayors, and here in Yellowknife, six of our eight council members are new to the game.
I attended several election forums last week, and I heard many concerns expressed by the Yellowknife candidates and I was struck by how intertwined municipal issues are with those of the territorial government. Here is some of what I heard: Yellowknife is struggling to find solutions to deal with an increasing homeless population. Yellowknife’s downtown core was described as a mess and unsafe. Some residents avoid the core because they don’t feel comfortable there. Many candidates used the words “revitalize the downtown.” Yet, homelessness is a housing issue and housing is a territorial responsibility.
Infrastructure was also often mentioned during the campaign. Members know that all of our communities have a large infrastructure deficit, and by that I mean repairs, retrofits and replacement of buildings, roads, water and sewer pipes. But what is our NWT government doing to bring down that deficit, other than pointing to the federal gas tax revenue as our communities’ saviour?
Candidates also spoke of new government regulations that demand different treatment of YK’s water source. To comply with those regulations, Yellowknife is building a new water treatment plant, to the tune of some $20 million but without any assistance from the GNWT or the federal government. If the GNWT demands upgrades to our water systems, the GNWT should provide financial help to get it done.
As mentioned by my colleague Mr. Hawkins yesterday, many candidates spoke of the need for an addictions treatment centre other than Stanton Hospital. Like homelessness, health programs and services are a territorial responsibility. There seems to be general acceptance that YK has the worst record of people with addictions. It only makes sense to provide treatment here, but there’s little appetite on the part of the GNWT to provide the necessary financial support to the city to help with this problem.
It’s time for the GNWT to recognize the needs of our capital city, to accept that the city has greater needs than other communities because it is a magnet community for residents from all of our communities. It’s time for the GNWT to act on Yellowknife’s needs.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
