Charles Dent

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I don’t know if I can answer all the detail of the question the Member has posed. However, it’s not uncommon for this government and most governments to charge fees for services that they provide to the public. For instance, if you go in and want to register a document in court registries, there is a fee. If you want to get a driver’s licence, there is a fee for that. When the public asks that a service be performed that isn’t being provided to everybody, it isn’t unusual that there would be a fee charged. My understanding is that that’s the situation also with...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to provide an update to Members of the Legislative Assembly on the Department of Justice’s work to implement the Protection Against Family Violence Act.

This act, passed during the 14th Legislative Assembly, provides for 24-hour access to emergency protection orders when there is an act, or threat of family violence. It also provides victims of family violence with long-term protection orders.

Anyone who has lived, or is living, in a family or intimate relationship with the accused will be able to apply for protection under this act. For example, this could...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Weledeh, the Bill 8, Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, 2004, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have known Mr. Zoe for a while. We served together in the 12th Assembly. Shortly after the election I met with Mr. Zoe, we went for a coffee and talked about our aspirations. He told me at that time that he wanted to be on Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, I told him that things have changed, and that attitudes towards alcohol use had changed significantly, that there was no longer any tolerance for alcohol abuse by Cabinet Members. I told him that I expected to hear from him that he understood that things had changed, and that he could live with these new...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m not sure. I guess it depends on the nature of the behavioural problems. I suppose, for instance, that a territorial treatment centre might be a facility that could be used for situations like that. But again, without knowing the specifics of the behaviour issues, it's hard to know. It may help the Member to know that I have advised the DEC Chairs that by this fall I will issue a directive that will stipulate what is acceptable use for the funds that are provided to deal with special needs. I am not certain that the school support funding has been spent...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, each individual situation is going to require a unique solution, so it is difficult to answer it in a general way. There are in every instance monies available for dealing with children who have special needs given to the divisional education councils, which in turn funds the district education authorities to provide the services. So the legislation in the Northwest Territories requires that the councils provide an appropriate level of education for all students, and that may take the provision of an individual’s support in a classroom, or it may take...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would have to take a look at the terms and conditions under which the program is offered. As I said, it’s a federal program. The federal government pays for the entire cost of the program and, therefore, they set the rules and conditions of who qualifies for it. We may not have the flexibility to allow for that, even if somebody was prepared to pay. But I can’t say that for sure, so I’ll look into it and get back to the Member.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can tell the Member that on more than one occasion during the 13th Assembly when I was Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, I sent letters to the federal government and asked the Ministers to reconsider their position on the university and college entrance program, which is offered only for treaty people. I have always been rebuffed in those approaches. I haven’t tried it again since becoming Minister, but I am prepared to immediately write to the federal government and again see if they will reconsider their position.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can’t answer Mr. Delorey’s question about whether or not it’s a flat fee for every service that’s performed. I would expect on most occasions it is a flat fee per service, but I can’t say that with certainty. I would be happy to investigate and get back to him on that.

On the other case, if an article is seized and stored somewhere, then, yes, it is common for charges to be levied for that storage, particularly if a third party is responsible for the storage. For instance, if a car is seized for non-payment of some bill and there’s a judgment received, if that car has...

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the sheriff is an employee of the government, yes.