Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement of Darnley Bay project and the lack of jobs in the communities, I have questions for the Premier. Can the Minister identify the actions that this government is taking to keep small and rural communities alive and growing? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Jacobson. The honourable Premier, Mr. Roland.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We could probably take up the rest of the question period if I were to go into a lot of detail in that area. A number of things that we are highlighting, Mr. Speaker, a number of things that we are doing and one of the areas that we have been working on with Members of the Assembly is the electricity rate review and implementing our recommendations that will affect the commercial cost of doing business in our communities. The fact that within the Department of ITI, we have put more focus on small businesses in our smaller communities as well as traditional activities in that area, as well, to offset the cost of living. We have a number of subsidies in place that help people in our smaller communities with the cost of living; an increase, for example, of our Territorial Power Support Program. In this day and age, we know we have to do more but we are challenged with our ability from our side to implement some of these changes or enhance some of our services because our revenue base isn’t growing. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, it is really good that we are giving 70 percent off to Sachs Harbour, finding a way to be able to buy some food in Sachs. It is such a high cost of living in the community. It is a good government. I am happy we work together. That is one thing. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister commit to working with the coalition of Regular Members to businesses and aboriginal partners to develop new strategies for small and remote communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the Member has actually highlighted another area this government has taken an initiative on. It is forming a committee, between Regular Members and Cabinet, on small and remote rural communities. I would say that would be an avenue that we could use if that group wants to seek some input as to what options they may be able to work on and present back to the Members of the Assembly. I think we have an avenue there. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, what success can the Minister point to for this government that we are making for families and youth that want to live in small, remote communities, or what should the Members expect to see from the government that will encourage families or the youth to remain in our small communities and not move to Yellowknife or Inuvik? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, there are quite a number of programs that we have in place that assist families in remaining in their communities; for those that are employed, our wage package as well as our northern allowance to help people stay in those communities. As well for those that our housing packages and our support under Income Support is another area. The fact is we have enhanced our capital plan over the last number of years to try to get as much infrastructure into our communities and throughout the Northwest Territories. We have invested significant amounts of money as the Government of the Northwest Territories who try to level off the playing field, so to speak, of the cost of living in our smaller communities. One of our other things now we have expanded is on our Youth Employment Initiative, which will again allow support in our smaller communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Jacobson.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The wages are good for working for the territorial government but not everybody in the community has government jobs. There are about three or four jobs in each community. And income support is not enough. People are going hungry during the third week of every month. Mr. Speaker, all I am asking for the Premier is to see if we can work together to get work for the people up in the Beaufort-Delta in the small communities, with meaningful long-term employment with the diamond mines or the oil and gas section. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, a committee on Rural and Remote Communities is looking at how we do business as the Government of the Northwest Territories in a whole number of areas, and again, I am sure that that committee will be happy to pull their resources together to look at these types of initiatives to see what we can do.
Let’s not forget, Mr. Speaker, for example, our capital plan, what we are doing to keep people in businesses operating in the communities of the Northwest Territories, our infrastructure program with airport expansions, renewal of many of our infrastructure habits. For example, in Tuktoyaktuk we did the access to the gravel pit, things like that. We have put money on the table to keep people working. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
