Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs and, as I mentioned in my statement, the Government of the Northwest Territories was a full participating member on the City of Yellowknife’s 911 Management Committee. Given our government’s participation on that management committee, I would like to ask the Minister to articulate the government’s position regarding the need and urgency for 911 service in the NWT.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government’s position is they recognize that there is a need to provide a service across the Northwest Territories. I remember for a few times in the seven communities…We oversee all 33 communities in the Northwest Territories. This speaks well to the wide range of services offered across the Northwest Territories. We have so many small communities that would just like to have the cell phone service to be able to go to the next level. This is something that we have to sit back and have a look and make sure it’s something that benefits all 33 communities and if it’s the desire, and I still have to bring the report to Cabinet. It was my intention to bring it to Cabinet within the next week or so to get Cabinet’s feedback and then come up with a position and the next step as far as we’re concerned.
I thank the Minister for his remarks. I can’t argue with the Minister’s statement that we have communities that are lacking such things as basic cell phone service. However, the report recommends that the seven communities -- and I’ll mention them: Behchoko, Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Hay River, Inuvik, Norman Wells, and Yellowknife -- that those seven communities should start the implementation of 911 and then we move on to other communities later on. Those seven communities comprise some 77 percent of our population. That’s more than three-quarters of our NWT population. They will be targeted with 911 if we implement it in these communities. So I would like to ask the Minister whether or not the funding of a 911 for these seven communities will be a priority for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs or any GNWT department in the 2010-2011 budget.
I appreciate the Member’s comments that these seven communities make up 77 percent of the population in the Northwest Territories. That’s one of the reasons I need to bring this to Cabinet and get Cabinet’s opinion on the report and see where we can go from here. If it’s partial implementation, then we would have to consider if it’s the desire of this Assembly. Of course, it would have to go through the whole budgeting process and have approval from this Legislative Assembly to implement partial service.
I appreciate where the Minister is coming from. I realize that there is a budget process that has to be gone through. I am hoping that we will get some certainty on funding to at least start 911. It’s been said many times: Presumably our government is all about partnerships. Even today our Premier has stated a strong and independent North is going to have to be built on partnerships. So I’d like to know whether or not MACA is willing to consider a partnership with the City of Yellowknife to start the much needed implementation of 911 service.
Absolutely. Again, not only just with the City of Yellowknife. The Member talked about seven communities. So if there’s a possibility of partnering with the seven communities to put together a plan for partial implementation and figuring out the costs and making sure that goes through this Legislative Assembly, then it’s something that we would seriously consider.
Final supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thanks to the Minister. At the risk of debating with the Minister, I’d like to suggest that a partnership with the City of Yellowknife is required to get this process started. I’d like to know if the Minister will agree to start a partnership with the City of Yellowknife and expand that to other communities as the project gets rolling. We certainly can start a project with seven communities.
We’re going to have a chance to look at the report and analyze the report and cost figures and how it would be best to implement this. But, of course, once we do that, we would be willing to -- seeing as it was the City of Yellowknife that put together the report with some input and participation of the GNWT -- sit down with them and try to roll out the next step. Hopefully this can carry on to the other seven communities, which is a start, then hopefully get the rest of the communities in the NWT on board with this.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.
