Daryl Dolynny

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As discussed in my Member’s statement earlier today, the new PowerSchool student information system was recently launched across NWT school systems. After talking to a number of teachers and board officials, there was a common theme of questions that I wish to share today with the Minister of Education. Arguably, the most common issue discussed was the frustration of the importing of data into the new system. Transfer of data in most cases failed, resulting in administration having to commit excess human resources to make this work. This added undue stress to all staff...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. By now if your son or daughter hasn’t talked about the new PowerSchool student information system, with report cards already done or coming next week, you’ll soon be seeing what this new technology is all about.

This new school technology has been used all over North America and is now making its debut in NWT school systems. In essence, this multi-faceted data management tool will allow school boards and schools to manage student data and create reports to monitor and plan for student success.

PowerSchool will do the following: attendance, emergency medical data...

Again, this is a great initiative. I think what we’re going to need to find out in the House here is, what exactly is this so-called incentive of putting power back into the so-called grid with a net metre? Can the Minister indicate how much money, if I was to make this large investment, $30,000 to put solar panels onto my house and I want to put power back into the grid, how much money am I going to get per kilowatt hour by putting that in? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think many people are quite curious and I’ll definitely have to ask this last question. As we’ve talked about the final completion, we heard about an RFP that has been issued; we’re not sure if it’s closed or not. Can the Minister indicate if this is going to be new monies, potentially, that will be asked in the upcoming next budget, or is this something that would be included in the overall project design and scope and budget? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, this is going to be our first year of operation, or anticipated first year of operation with this bridge and we are going to be learning lots of new things about a bridge of that magnitude over a body of water, icing, snow cover. If anyone has been down there to see it, it’s quite a large angle of inclination, so we could be running into issues of sliding, small accidents and things of that nature. If we run into a problem in our first season of operation, as the Minister indicated, we don’t have a phone. There is no emergency phone to call.

What does the department suggest we do...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It does appear that we’re actually moving in the right direction with respect to the safety of our communities and proper emergency action plans.

Can the Minister indicate in his crystal ball of items to be completed during the term of the 17th Assembly, when we would be able to see the completion of these so-called emergency action plans throughout the territory?

It’s pleasing to see that we’re getting to the completion of all 33 communities in what is very, very important here. Leading to my second question on the subject of hazard assessments, these are basically high-level scenarios in terms of where we have communities at risk. Can the Minister indicate as to if all hazard assessments have been performed in all 33 communities?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today marks the first day of Movember and its annual month-long event involving the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces during the month of November. In Canada and around the world, men with their mos – in other words, moustaches – raise awareness for prostate cancer and male mental health initiatives.

I stand before you today a clean-shaven man. I have registered at Movember.com on my iPhone app and I encourage all my mo-bros and my mo-sistas, like mo-sista Bisaro and mo-sista Groenewegen, and all my mo-supporters throughout the NWT to do the same. Let’s...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, will be speaking in favour of this motion. As we heard, time is everything, every minute counts and as we’ve heard, every second counts. Who better to understand the needs of Northerners than Northerners themselves, and Northerners are better able to handle northern emergencies. Anyone who has watched NWT Ice Pilots or any of our shows and watch our DC-3s in action across the North know very well the intricacies of flying in the North – wind shear, different temperatures, the harshness that we have to experience – and it is only through that type of knowledge of...

The Minister is right; we would actually be paid back. So I do this great investment, I’m spending all this money and I’m actually getting back, by putting power back in the grid by net metering, the Member says eight cents. I believe that number is probably closer to 13 cents per kilowatt. I know we pay a lot more per kilowatt hour. Many other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world have regulations where they pay back to those people who do the investment, and to do these great initiatives and spend their hardworking money to be energy smart and green smart, they are paying 1.5 to two...