Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to recognize members of the Yellowknife Farmers Market for their very successful first season. The Farmers Market was started by two friends of the land, France Benoit, a Weledeh constituent, and Amy Lizotte. They say their idea caught on quickly, with many helpful volunteers.

The market operated in the Samba K’e Park next to the Yellowknife City Hall every Tuesday evening for 12 consecutive weeks. Over 70 vendors throughout the summer enjoyed total sales of over $140,000. Based on studies of other farmers markets in Canada, this farmers market likely...

Thanks for that explanation. I have to say that’s pretty much all Greek to me. Let’s see if I can attempt plain language on this and get the Minister’s perspective then.

It seems like we’re moving into a more and more electronic world all the time. Some basic duties that everybody has in their jobs across the government, where normally we might scratch on our calendar or something like this or make a call to your local HR officer, now we’re doing all these things electronically. Say you ended up with a person like me in your staff, the government somewhere, I’d need to take these training...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope that seals the deal. I hope this does correct the impression for the public.

The last question I have, very briefly, is: Has the Premier informed our public that if we do in fact connect to these grids and import power, that we will be importing primarily coal power, the dirtiest possible fuel and the most inefficient use of fuel to generate electricity and the most damaging of the fuels to climate change? Has the Premier informed the public about that aspect as well?

We could use all the extra power ourselves. Economically that’s been demonstrated. For some reason we’re not; we’re using fossil fuels instead. Again, the Premier did not refute the fact that we have 30 cent power, they have six to eight cents power. We are not going to be selling, so this is a very irresponsible position to take.

In contrast, and I’ve talked to people in the Hydro Corporation and the NWT Power Corporation and they agree with that, of course. Has the Premier talked to those people in the Hydro Corporation and the NWT Power Corporation? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased to hear about the Healthy Family Program. I have been aware of that and I think that is an excellent program.

My question was on the commitment to get in place new child and family resource centres. I know those were attempted in the previous fiscal year and they failed to be established. I assume the Minister is working with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to get those up and operational. Hopefully they are by now. We have been at this now for a year and a half. I wonder if the Minister, if he’s not aware of not being able to provide...

Mr. Speaker, I’m disappointed to hear that, obviously. The House provided clear direction here as a result of several years of previous discussions. When we directed the Midwifery Program be accelerated for Hay River, we envisioned and stipulated that this would also accelerate the midwifery programs for the Beaufort-Delta, Behchoko and Yellowknife.

Can the Minister please explain how the department is planning to get the midwifery expansion back on schedule, and confirm that the delays in Hay River will not be allowed to delay implementation in other communities as well? Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize some Pages in the House today. Niva Stephenson, who actually is just outside, I believe, but we have in the gallery today her mother, Karen Johnston, and her grandmother, Sue Johnston. A great welcome to them.

I also have a couple of others. I see Grace Clark here and her twin sister, Sophie, has been running around here, both of whom are fiddlers, by the way, of some renown. I would also like to recognize Anne Thomas, who is also a great fiddler, although not a Weledeh resident. Many thanks for the services of the Pages today.

Thanks to the Minister. I think that has me at least further along. So I understand now that this is also really about other kinds of training, not necessarily electronic. It might be training to become a better renewable resources officer or a better manager, personnel manager or something like that. This software is going to help track all that and keep the employee informed and the supervisor informed. I think I’m getting it. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I always wonder how many jobs we’re displacing with this electronic stuff and how much other software this covers that’s replacing PYs, but that’s...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I could just get an explanation. I understand this is for a new module for training, to manage training and employee certification. Maybe if I could just get an elaboration so I understand this. Thank you.

Thank you. I’m glad to hear the Minister is talking to our people. Building transmission lines is extremely expensive. ATCO, during the most recent Taltson fiasco, came up with about $750,000 per kilometre. Now we’re talking about building grids to the South at that rate. So that puts us in the many millions of dollars, in addition to our 30 cent kilowatt hour of power cost, so now we add that to that cost to sell our power to the South. Clearly, that’s not about to happen.

I’d like to ask the Premier what the cost of a transmission line to the South would be. What are the estimates?