David Ramsay

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There seems to be a tactic employed by management at the centre. That tactic is to put a person in acting capacity until they have enough experience to compete for the position. This completely shuts out a fair and competitive job competition because management has hand-picked the candidate already. Is the Minister aware of this tactic being employed at YCC and does it concern him? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have some more questions, in terms of the staff morale at YCC, for the Minister of Justice. This goes back to a few months ago when I asked similar questions about staff morale. Maybe he can help me out. I wonder why it is aboriginal employees in particular at YCC are being overlooked for advancement. Some of these aboriginal employees at YCC have over 15 years of experience and they are continually being denied advancement. I just wonder if he has a comment on that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What are the impacts of the ongoing issues at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre in the health services unit? What kind of impact is it having on Stanton Territorial Hospital? I know inmates have to go to Stanton for procedures that could and should be done at the facility, and I have also been made aware that casual nurses are actually being taken from the hospital and sent over to the facility. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be using my Member’s statement today to allow this House and the public to become aware of some ongoing concerns that I have with the Department of Justice and the Yellowknife Correctional Centre.

The Minister is well aware of my concerns, but I feel I have to bring this to the attention of the Assembly to get some action on it. In February, I received a petition signed by over 100 inmates incarcerated at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre. They cited some serious deficiencies with the delivery of health services at the centre. Upon receipt of this petition...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I think that the GNWT does assume the risk in this because if the bridge is put in at a cost of $80 million, $90 million or $100 million, how are we possibly going to recoup that through toll revenues? It is a risk that the GNWT is going to have, and that is why I feel strongly that the Premier has to get in this agreement a firm price, and the cost overruns cannot be allowed to happen. I’ve seen it firsthand when I was a city councillor, and I’ve also seen it during the life of this last government with the jail. We have to get a firm price, and we can...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to again ask the Minister responsible for the Deh Cho Bridge project, Mr. Handley, some questions. I draw his attention to two recent bridge projects in the territory that have been marred by cost overruns and a lack of pre-engineering. Willow Creek was supposed to cost $4.5 million, and ended up over $7 million. The river between Two Mountains Bridge was crushed by ice. No ice floe study was done prior to this bridge being put in. Is the Premier aware of these two bridge projects, and what will he do to ensure that these problems won’t happen with the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Is the Premier aware that the proposed site of the bridge at the current ferry crossing is, in fact, at the foot of the Fort Providence Rapids where the current in the river is at its fastest? Does the Premier know to date there has been no geotechnical work or ice floe studies? What will this do to the cost of the project and does this cause the Premier any concern? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister responsible for the Deh Cho Bridge project and that is Premier Handley. I would like to know what cost the GNWT has incurred to date for the Deh Cho Bridge project and why we haven’t seen a final design on the bridge project. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will continue on with my questioning for the Minister responsible for the Deh Cho Bridge project, and I will go back to a comment that he made. I don’t think you have to look any further than the YCC project for a poster for cost overruns, and the Minister is well aware of that. Can I get a commitment from the Minister when we might expect a design, something for instance -- you know, it has been two years -- something we can put on display in the Great Hall, something that would show that we actually do have a design and we actually do know what we are talking...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I mentioned this earlier, there hasn’t been an ice floe study on the mass and the volume during spring break up, and the impact that might have on the piers that are going to connect the bridge from one side of the river to the other. I’d like to also ask the Premier and mention this to him that there needs to be an incentive for the Deh Cho Bridge Corporation to not incur cost overruns in this project. This has to be in the agreement. The GNWT should not assume all the risk, and currently, under the agreement that I have seen here, we are assuming all the...