Charles Dent

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Later today I will table the Workers' Compensation Board of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut 2005 Annual Report. Mr. Speaker, it contains good news for northern stakeholders.

Everyone agrees the sooner an injured worker is helped to return to work, the better. The WCB offers injured workers the Healthy Return to Work Program. Through this innovative program, the average duration for lost-time accidents is under 44 days.

Mr. Speaker, last year the WCB registered 3,321 new claims. Of these, 950 were from workers who lost time at work. Of all the claims registered...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said in my response to Mr. Ramsay, the promise that was made publicly and in this House was that when the subsidy program for public housing, which includes the subsidy for seniors in public housing, when that was transferred or responsibility for that program was transferred from the Housing Corporation to Education, Culture and Employment it would be taken over with no change in the policy. At this point there is no change. We are examining all of our income security programs and all of our subsidy programs that are administered by Education, Culture and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Because this House was assured that when the changeover took place that there would be no change in the rules that were administered by the Housing Corporation and that any change would come about as a result of the overall review of the income security programs, all of the income security programs, that process is underway with us working to go back to the standing committee, hopefully fairly shortly with some proposed changes. We have gone back to the standing committee to outline what we have heard during the consultation process and what some of the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When I say that the issues might be resolved, I am afraid, Mr. Speaker, that I can’t say that everybody is going to be satisfied with the resolution. I do believe that we have been working towards a resolution. I don’t know if we are still in that position today. We may be in a situation where we haven’t got an agreement to work any longer. I am going to have to confirm whether or not that’s happening and then we’ll follow up on it. It’s my goal to try to have a decision made by the parties at one point or another. I think it’s important to point out we have two...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the first week in May, I did receive the Yellowknife facilities report from the committee. The next day I received a phone call from one of the boards asking if an offer I had made previously to facilitate a bilateral meeting between the two Yellowknife school boards was still open. I confirmed that I would be prepared to have such a meeting facilitated. That was set up. It took place. At that meeting, the Yellowknife District No. 1 agreed that they would take some time to review their position and put in writing in a letter to me what they...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I haven’t received a reply yet from Public Works and Services advising us as to the condition of the school. I’m certain that they will be looking at it or have looked at it, but we haven’t received the report yet. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Nunavut Minister is aware that I would like to move on this issue fairly quickly or very quickly. We still have to take due diligence with reviewing the applications that have been received. I will be asking the chair of the appeals tribunal to comment on the application and get that information back to me and I will work with the Minister from Nunavut to move as quickly as we can. It is something that we will advance as quickly as we can. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the board and governance council focus on workplace and worker safety, along with good financial stewardship, means the WCB of the NWT and Nunavut is well positioned to look after the interests of both workers and employers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do not believe that at any time the standing committee was informed that we might be having to look at replacing this building. Mr. Chairman, there were extensive consultations with the MLA for the region over the past two years. The village council has been involved in the consultations, the band has been involved in the consultations, and unfortunately it appears that in the act of maintaining good consultation with the community, the step of informing the committee that this was an impending issue was overlooked.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do not believe that at any time the standing committee was informed that we might be having to look at replacing this building. Mr. Chairman, there were extensive consultations with the MLA for the region over the past two years. The village council has been involved in the consultations, the band has been involved in the consultations, and unfortunately it appears that in the act of maintaining good consultation with the community, the step of informing the committee that this was an impending issue was overlooked.