Bob Bromley

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Finance and are in relation to the recently released public consultation paper on an NWT Heritage Fund. I want to start by saying it’s really great to see this out. It’s something Members of this House have been pushing for and I’m happy to see it finally happening.

One of the things we’re dealing with is with exceptionally low royalty rates in the Northwest Territories. Our resources are tending to leave faster and faster and our diamond mines are a good example of that. So how can we collect revenue to fill up a Heritage Fund? The...

Thank you. Another bit of misconfusion or misinformation that the Premier said yesterday I’d like to get cleared up, and according to unedited Hansard he said the thinking on this is “the thinking about building capacity with our aboriginal partners across the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, the Member doesn’t put more weight and bearing on that piece of it.” I want to assure the Premier that’s not the case. In fact, Deze Energy could just as easily partner in a west-side grid project. The fact is that Deze Energy and this government will develop nothing if this project degenerates in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my statement and questions to the Premier through you yesterday on the Taltson Hydro routing and east side versus west side. Yesterday the Premier noted that we needed a client to sell power to and that’s why we went the east side. This sounds odd to me, because does the Premier not think that Avalon secondary processing at Avalon Mine, Tyhee Mine, Nico Mine, Yellowknife, Behchoko and expanded growth from a connected Taltson and Snare Hydro grids are not much better long-term and permanent clients for that power? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s the end of our longest annual session and we’ve debated many critical issues facing our citizens today. Now it’s time for action. I want to briefly restate my priorities on how we need to act.

The Mackenzie Gas Project can only be supported if it is made to provide sustainable social and economic benefits to NWT residents and mitigation of its social and environmental impacts. We need the input of all MLAs in developing a response to the JRP report and I am calling on the government to honour the principles of consensus government by obtaining full Assembly and...

I am talking about public interest. I’m talking about this government representing the public and getting a deal that will support our economy. Yes, we’ve done good work on that project. The problem is the front-end thinking is missing. Where is the public interest? I have a feeling there are all kinds of organizations lining up to partner with the Government of the Northwest Territories. I mean, how could they not enjoy the millions? Everybody else seems to be. So I’m saying where is the front-end thinking, Mr. Speaker? Where is the vision?

We’re talking hydro, we’re talking a 50-year time...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today. With the money being spent on Taltson, we could have built Lutselk’e and Whati mini-hydros, had them half paid for and started community residents on 50 years of reduced power costs. Instead, we have a plan for building the world’s longest extension cord to a dead end with a one-industry client base. This is the kind of sound management that put us on a $180 million hook for a bridge. Why has the shareholder -- that’s us -- permitted the Hydro Corporation to pursue any system development without an...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to recognize my constituent departing from the gallery, Dr. Beverly Wilson. I’d also like to recognize the board members that are there from the Centre for Northern Families: Brea Denning, Jessica Mace and Arlene Hache and possibly the youngest member I have seen in our gallery so far. Also, I’d like to recognize Craig Yeo, my constituency assistant. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Very briefly, I’m in total support of this motion. Adult diagnosis is a gap we’ve overlooked and are seeking, through the good work of my colleagues here, to fill. We’re missing an opportunity to help people in many ways that, really, we are responsible for as a government.

This is a huge issue for the Northwest Territories. We learned during our visit to Alberta, the ministry down there, that there are great strides being made in assessment and working with the people with FASD, and particularly with adults, new research going on there. So with proper diagnosis...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it’s Nutrition Month and I think it’s a good idea to piggyback a boost to nutrition onto a great new green initiative and I want to start by saying I really appreciate adding milk containers to the Waste Reduction Program. It’s something that’s been called for by our public and this is good of the government to respond.

The unintended side effect, though, Mr. Speaker, is to tax nutrition and that is one unintended result, because there is a price spread between the amount of deposits paid on milk containers and the amount refunded. Milk or equivalent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m sure it will be profitable to our partners. What I’m talking about is public interest. So, yes, I would like the Premier to commit to a re-examination of the more costly alternatives, but the one that actually goes forward with the public interest addresses multiple goals rather than services a single provider that we hope is going to be there long enough to help pay for the system and put it around the west side where we know there are permanent customers waiting to use that power in a responsible way over the long haul. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.