Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are following up on my Member’s statement yesterday on the report from the Coalition Against Family Violence. They are for the Minister of Health and Social Services and Deputy Premier. Recent statistics, sadly, show that family violence continues to get worse. Two hundred and thirty-eight women and children came forward to violence shelters for the first time in 2010-11; that’s new incidents. NWT women seek escape from violence and shelter at five times the national rate. Ninety-two percent of 27,000 people responding to the 2007 survey said more...

I guess I would call on all of the House to ensure that the Auditor General’s guidance is reflected in that policy before it’s approved.

Just my last question here. Given that $17.4 million has been spent and the development costs for the project were estimated to be $20 million, we’re now over 80 percent expended on the budget for developing the project. Although it’s on hold, I understand from the chairman of the Power Corporation that development, or perhaps the Hydro Corporation development, is still proceeding or explorations towards a restructuring and so on. Again, presumably that would...

I thank the Minister for those remarks. I think many of us are disappointed that this project did not work out better and are still hopeful that something can be pulled out of the fire. I am concerned with one of the justifications for this sort of ongoing funding. That is that our partner is worthy of this investment essentially because they are contributing to project knowledge about financial structuring such as the P3 public-private partnership model. Now, I would hope that the government would not need to go to a vested partner that has everything to gain and nothing to lose, for advice...

Again, I thank the Minister for that somewhat unrelated comment. Thank you.

Thank you, committee. We will do that. First we’ll take a break.

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I’d like to call Committee of the Whole to order. We have before us, committee, three tabled documents: Tabled Documents 7-16(6), 8-16(6) and 9-16(6). What is the wish of committee? Mrs. Groenewegen.

I’m certain that nobody here is a stranger to that 30 minute trip into Edmonton from the International Airport. Many of us have probably experienced the fog conditions, the snowstorm conditions, this sort of thing. Can the Minister say whether the report he’s had on this takes into account the impact of those sorts of conditions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also have questions for the Minister of Health and Social Services regarding the Edmonton Municipal Airport closure. I have questions of detail regarding the closure and the routing medevac flights through the International. I have been informed that the original deeding of airport lands to the municipality was made with a caveat that the lands could not be used other than as an airport. Since the issue of the municipality’s discretion to make this change is fundamental to this issue, will the Minister direct staff to confirm whether in fact this was the case? Mahsi.

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to say that I think that’s a sound investment following up on this item. A five-year payback sounds very reasonable to me and that’s not even mentioning the gains in greenhouse gas reductions. I’m wondering if the Minister would know what the payback period is for the Elizabeth Mackenzie School wood pellet boiler. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did want to say that I recognize this is a substantial carry-over, but I recognize also that I think we had a very substantial amount, I think over half a billion dollars, of infrastructure last year that we were taking on and the actual proportion moving forward is relatively modest. Nevertheless, because it’s such a large amount, it is a lot of work that hasn’t got done.

Just homing in on one specific here, I’d like to focus on the Dettah access road reconstruction. I’m happy to see that we’ve been able to carry over and carry forward the dollars for this project...