Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week on Thursday I was trying to raise the issue of 911. The fact is, the concern in Yellowknife, as well as across the Northwest Territories, is this file still has gone nowhere.
So I ask the Minister of MACA, who is in charge of the 911 issue, I guess one could look at it that way or I don’t know what he’s doing with it. So that’s where my first question lies.
What is the Minister of MACA doing to move forward the file of 911 to ensure we have safety for all Northerners as requested by NWTAC, the City of Yellowknife and Northerners at large? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. McLeod.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, 911 is a concern across the Northwest Territories. We’ve heard about it in the many meetings we’ve had. I have asked officials to go back and have a look at it, considering the fact that technology and telecommunications have improved throughout the North. So I have committed to revisiting the issue. Thank you.
Thank you. Maybe the Minister could elaborate. The 911 issue has been brought up no less than 13 occasions in this Legislature and it was always hinging on being able to reach out to the communities and cell phone services. So I’d like the Minister to actually explain to this House what does he mean by he’s looking into this. Thank you.
I said we’re revisiting the issue. The question has been raised. The Member said what, 13 times. I think it was a lot more than that, but at the time, because of the lack of communication across the Northwest Territories, telecommunication, it would have been difficult to work on or implement this system. So with the improvements, we are going back. I have directed officials to revisit this issue and see if there are ways that we can possibly implement this program. We’re working with the communities to implement this program on a stage-by-stage basis. Thank you.
Thank you. Written words speak louder than oral words. So what is the Minister willing to table before this House or even put in a letter to Members to show that MACA is committed to this, rather than just standing here and saying we’re behind it? Well, let’s prove it. Thank you.
Thank you. If the Member doesn’t want to take my word for it, then we’ll put a letter together and send it to the Member. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.
Has the Minister of MACA ever gone to the FMB Cabinet table to fight for 911 and is he able to prove that for a fact? A lot of Northerners in this city and across the territory all feel that this issue continues to get dusted off and ignored. Thank you.
Thank you. It’s not our intention to dust this off and keep pushing it off. I have not gone to the Cabinet table yet. We are planning on doing a little more work on this and then once the opportunity arises, we’re looking for some funds, and I will approach FMB and see if there’s a possibility that we can gain access to some of these funds. But in the meantime, we do recognize that things are changing across the Northwest Territories and I’ve heard from a lot of folks out there. I’ve heard from NWTAC, I’ve heard from Members in the 16th and 17th. So it is one that I have committed to revisiting and seeing if there’s a possibility that we can advance this issue any further. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
