David Ramsay

Thank you. Yes, I can assure the Member that I’ll have that discussion immediately with the department. Thank you.

I give the Member a commitment that we will look at the program criteria and understand there are number of elders that are out. Some of those cabins belong to elders who don’t necessarily earn a living or are retired.

Again, that criteria is under review and it’s something I can commit to the Member that we will look at that issue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s great to see so many students here. I’d like to welcome them all to the Assembly today. I also wanted to recognize one of our Pages, Delaney Beaton, who is with us today. She’s a Grade 8 student at St. Joe’s. I’d like to thank her for her work and all the work that the Pages have put in for Members during these last two weeks. Thank you very much.

I also want to recognize both school board chairs: from YK1, John Stephenson; and from YCS, Simon Taylor. I know Mike Huvenaars, the assistant superintendent, is here as well. Welcome, folks. I know I have two schools in...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Northwest Territories Economic Outlook 2014-2015.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d also like to table the following document, entitled “25th Annual Report Victims Assistance Committee of the Northwest Territories, 2013-2014.” Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. We will continue to work forward with the process that we have in place. We’ve received submissions and we will be bringing forward amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act later this year, which will be debated in this House. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. During the summer of 2013, the Department of Justice distributed a consultation document on potential amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act. In response, we received 17 submissions to that. Submissions were received from housing organizations, landlords, territorial and community agencies and some individuals. The deputy rental officer and the NWT Housing Corporation also submitted responses to the consultation paper. Suggestions for improvements to the act were also received from MLAs and will be considered as part of the consultation.

The time, energy and careful...

I will commit to go back to the department and have a discussion with them about how fast we can move forward with a review of the criteria, and if there are individuals that have had applications in whether that new criteria could apply to those applicants or whether they’d have to reapply, we will try to sort that situation out for the Member in the Inuvik region. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Member has a lifetime of experience in that area and I know the last eight years he’s spent on the leadership hike with…(inaudible)… The Member and I have had a number of discussions of how best the department and the government can use the information that people who have actually been out, walked the trail, hiked the trail and have lived that experience can provide to the government in terms of what infrastructure is needed and where it’s needed. We talked earlier about the update guidebook for hikers. These are things that are tangible and things that… We need to look to...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Canol Trail remains within the authority of the federal government. It does have a number of sites along the trail that would, or could, cause issues for health and safety of persons travelling on that trail. That’s not to say we’re not continuing to move forward with discussions with the federal government on how we are going to make improvements. We have some capital dollars earmarked for improvements in the park, including cable crossing at Twitya River next year.

The Member has a very valid point about the guidebook for hikers on the Canol. It hasn’t been updated...

We do have funding that gets down to the regional level and the community level that folks can access at the community level to help them get out on the land hunting or trapping, and certainly that’s something we will continue to support. As far as providing assistance for helicopters to take folks out, that’s something we would have to continue to discuss with the Member.